Face to Face
by cherrycola-lola
Summary: After one too many fierce rows with Vegeta, Bulma decides enough is enough. All she knows is that there is more than meets the eye with the Saiyan Prince, and as she tries to delve deeper she finds herself becoming increasingly drawn to him.
1. Resolve

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter One: Resolve**

_  
'There's not much I know about you,_

_Fear will always make you blind._

_But the answer is in clear view,_

_It's amazing what you'll find face to face.' _

Daft Punk: _Face to Face_

* * *

"FINE!" Bulma bellowed furiously, her voice echoing around the Gravity Chamber before she slammed the door shut with surprising strength. Her turquoise hair frizzed around her head, as if in agreement with her foul mood, and she stomped off towards the house, her face a picture of sheer fury. Yamcha watched, stunned and apprehensive, as she stormed past him- murmuring fiercely about 'that arrogant vegetable-head jerk'- and he kept completely still in fear of catching her attention and thus become a victim of her temper. He'd crossed that line before and it wasn't something he would _ever_ deliberately do again.

The door of her house seemed to think the same as it automatically slid open- something Yamcha found it rarely did for him; he often had to wait ten seconds before it would open- and he briefly wondered if Bulma and her father had somehow wired it into doing such things. That thought was instantly vanished from his mind when an almighty blast of light burst out of the windows of the gravity machine and Yamcha hopped backwards in surprise as a ferocious roar followed it. He glanced nervously at Puar, who was hovering at his shoulder tentatively.

"I think Vegeta's angry too!" Puar squeaked, shivering slightly at the thought of the bad-tempered Saiyan.

Yamcha frowned, "That guy is such a jerk. I don't why Bulma lets him stay here. She spends half her time arguing with him and the other half fixing things he's broken and looking after him!" His voice rose angrily at the thought of his humiliation at Vegeta's hands, back when the Saiyan prince had been fighting against them. He clenched his hands into fists, and grit his teeth. "I don't know what Bulma's playing at, but he's bad news."

Puar squeaked again. "Calm down Yamcha!"

Yamcha let out a long breath and nodded, "Yeah, you're right Puar." He glanced over to the Gravity Chamber, "I'll get back to my training. I'll show Vegeta he's not the only one who could save us against those Androids."

* * *

Bulma threw herself into the lab and let out a scream of frustration, before flopping onto the worn seat at her desk and groaning. _What is that man's problem? All I ever do is help him out and he's such an ass to me! 'Fix this woman!'...'everything you say proves your stupidity'...'I'm going to blow up this pathetic planet and you with it!'...Honestly, he really is the most egotistical, stuck-up, ungrateful git I've ever met!_

She lay her head on her arms and ran her fingers through her hair, scowling as her fingers tangled in the wild curls. She didn't know why she ever thought a perm was a good idea, it was a complete mess! She looked like a poodle for heaven's sake! She sighed melodramatically and gazed up at the mirrored ceiling to get a look at herself. She looked a mess. She was tired, pale and her hair seemed to getting wirier and more ridiculous by the minute..._I've had enough, I'm not stressing myself out over that jerk again today...I'm going to get some retail therapy!_

She stood up and shuffled the papers on her desk into some semblance of order before heading out, picking her purse up on her way out and not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. She wanted some time to herself- and to do that she had to make sure no-one knew where she was or how to reach her. She sighed happily as she slid into her red convertible and started the engine with a cheerful hum before speeding off towards the centre of the city.

* * *

Vegeta blasted a ki ball at the bots with an angry growl, before dodging to his left as it bounced off and back towards him. He spun around to face it and blasted another ki ball as it flew towards him, causing a blinding collision- the force of which sent him flying backwards. He regained his balance and flew back, dodging and ducking in mid-air as the bots flung ki balls at him from each of their angles. He kept up this demanding tactic until he felt a ki ball scorch his shoulder and he let out a growl of pain and annoyance before spinning around and releasing a blast of energy from his body. The yellow light boomed around him and hit the bots which such force that they began to melt, and as they dropped to the floor, useless, he dropped with them, crouching low and sucking in gulps of air before letting out another growl as he examined his shoulder. What was wrong with him? He hadn't been hit by the bots since the first few weeks he had started training and now - 13 months in- he'd been hit again. He poked at the burn gingerly and contained a wince of pain; it was sore but he would ignore it. He didn't have time for silly injuries. _I need to train non-stop to beat Kakarot and become a Super-Saiyan._ He looked at the melted bots and sat down, _I'll have to get that blasted woman or her father to make me new ones. Their human technology is too weak against Saiyan strength...not that the woman will ever admit it. She's the stupidest person I've ever met- besides Kakarot- and yet she's a scientific genius_...He shook his head and stood up, turning off the gravity and pulling his black top over his head..._the female species are such an enigma._

* * *

Bulma reached Capsule Corp feeling completely rejuvenated and ready for anything. She parked her car and clicked the boot so it immediately sprang off the car and shrank to the size of a handbag. She grinned and sauntered into the house, swinging the bag and setting it on the table. A cough alerted her to someone else's presence and she spun around to see Vegeta, his brow furrowed and dark eyes glued to her, leaning against the doorway. He raised an eyebrow scornfully when she stared at him in surprise but she ignored it and smiled brightly. "Hello Vegeta, what are you doing in here?"

Vegeta scowled, "Your mood seems to have improved. You're no longer screaming like a harpy."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "What do you want Vegetable Head?"

Vegeta's scowl deepened and he clenched his fists, "Stop calling me that ridiculous name, Woman."

Bulma grinned, she loved winding Vegeta up; loved the moments where _she_ was the one with the quickest wit and she was the one to leave _him_ furious and flustered, "Oh I'll consider it, if you start calling me Bulma." She winked at him cheekily and burst out laughing as his cheeks pinked slightly and he growled low in his throat.

"Blasted woman, stop being such an idiot and just fix those damn bots for me. I've had enough of listening to your stupid babbling."

Bulma frowned, "You could try saying please Vegeta." She tapped the capsule and watched as her shopping sprang out of it, noting Vegeta's incredulity and annoyance with a small smile of triumph.

"I'm the Prince of the Saiyans! I will not say please to a weak earthling who has nothing better to do than go shopping!" he suddenly roared and Bulma swung around to face him, her lively blue eyes boring into his intense black gaze.

"Now look here buddy! I don't care if you're the damn Prince of your stupid monkey race, I'm not going to be bossed around by you anymore! Don't you forget that it was _me_ who helped invent that damn Gravity Chamber and it's _me_ who's letting you use it and it's _me_ who's fixing it up for you!" she bellowed, jabbing her finger into her own chest for emphasis and stomping her foot.

Vegeta's eyes flashed dangerously and he pushed himself off the wall and snarled, "Stupid monkey race? The Saiyans are the most powerful race in the universe! Your pathetic planet is nothing compared to mine! _You_ are nothing compared to me!"

"Ha!" Bulma screamed derisively, "If that's so true then how come your stupid planet has been blown up?!" The moment the words passed her lips she slapped her hands to her mouth in regret. Guilt swarmed her as he glared at her murderously and her eyes widened apologetically. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, that's not..."

"Shut up woman!" he snapped, before barging past her and stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that the doorframe crumbled and the door fell out, crashing to the floor with a resounding bang.

Bulma watched him go silently, her hands still at her mouth, and her regret and guilt bubbled to the surface until a small tear escaped her. She let out a little gasp and sat down, putting her head in her hands and feeling so ashamed of herself that she wished that the ground would swallow her up.

Yamcha heard the crash from the back yard and turned, startled, to Puar, who looked equally confused. The back door suddenly burst open and Vegeta stormed out, his energy levels crackling dangerously and his face writ with sheer fury. Instinctively, Yamcha knew that he had been arguing with Bulma- only those two knew how to wind each other up that badly- and he felt a swell of fear and anger grow in his stomach. _I don't care how strong Vegeta is, if he hurt Bulma I'll kill him._

He watched as Vegeta slammed the Gravity Chamber door shut and then he headed into the house, listening out for any sounds of distress or pain. He heard nothing. He ran down the corridor and skidded past the living room door, before back-pedalling and noticing Bulma was sat on the sofa, her head in her hands.

"Bulma! Are you ok?" he rushed over and crouched down in front of her.

Bulma looked up wearily, her eyes a little watery, and she let out a small "Oh Yamcha," before another tear escaped her.

Yamcha scowled, "What did he do to you Bulma? Did he hurt you?" he didn't notice the confusion on Bulma's face when he stood up angrily. "I knew it was a bad idea to let him stay here! I knew it! The guy is evil! He's..."

"Shut up Yamcha! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Bulma stood up too, her fists balling up furiously. The tears had disappeared and were replaced with raw anger.

"What? Why are you defending him Bulma?!" Yamcha stepped back, surprise and hurt by her sudden outburst.

"Why are you always blaming him for everything?! Why can't you just leave him alone, huh?!" Bulma threw her hands in the air and glared at Yamcha.

Yamcha's eyebrows shot up. "Leave him alone?!" he spluttered. "Bulma, the guy's a maniac! Why the bloody hell are you defending him?!"

Bulma froze. _Why the hell am I defending him?_ She thought to herself. '_Because you know that he's changing, you know that he never knew any better before...Because you want to defend him'._ A small voice whispered in her head and she shook her head furiously before collapsing back down on the couch and putting her head in her hands again.

"I said something horrible to him Yamcha."

Yamcha frowned and watched Bulma's eyes fill with tears again. He felt guilty for yelling at her when she had already been upset. "So what Bulma? He deserved it."

Bulma shook her head, "No he didn't...he doesn't." she sighed again, "Don't you get it Yamcha? He's changing...he didn't know any better before! How do you think any of us would have turned out if we'd have lived like he did?" she looked up at him beseechingly, and though he didn't agree with her- _Vegeta isn't changing, he's a cold-hearted git and he'll be that way forever_- he couldn't bring himself to disagree. Instead he sat down next to her on the couch and put a soothing hand on her back, ignoring the sudden realisation that this was the first time he'd touched her in a long while. He wasn't sure what they were anymore, but he'd been becoming increasingly aware that he wanted it to be something special, something better than ever before.

Bulma leaned into his touch, revelling in the comfort it offered her. She had missed Yamcha. Even though he had been here, training and living, she'd missed him. Missed being with him. He rubbed at her back slowly and she closed her eyes, before opening them again in pleasant surprise when he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her affectionately against his chest.

A moment later, just as she felt his lips brushing the top of her head, an airy giggle sounded from the doorway. They pulled apart immediately, and looked over to where Bulma's mother was stood, giggling and smiling goofily, carrying a tray of tea and cakes. "Oops. Forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt." She grinned widely and started to shuffle out of the room.

"No mama, it's ok. Come in." Bulma said tiredly, waving her mother back into the room. Mrs Briefs giggled again.

"Oh, I don't want to intrude."

Yamcha grinned winningly when he saw Bulma blush prettily, "It's ok Mrs B. You're not intruding. Looks like you've got some great cakes there."

Mrs Briefs beamed and Bulma couldn't help but roll her eyes and grin as her mother let out another giggle and came over to them, putting the cakes down and fussing over Yamcha like he was a beloved puppy.

She watched quietly as her mother and Yamcha exchanged friendly chatter and smiled when Yamcha handed her a chocolate éclair. She took a bite out of it and listened idly to Yamcha talking about his training, her thoughts wondering to something completely different. _What am I going to do about Vegeta? I should apologise to him really...but he'll never listen. Do I really need to apologise anyway? He's said millions of horrible things to me!_ She huffed silently. _Yes, but you know he doesn't really mean them. He is changing, even if he and no one else knows it. But you do. You've seen it in him. He never knew any better- he spent his entire life being trained to kill, to murder and hate. He's never had true friends before, never known kindness and love._ As she popped the last bit of her éclair into her mouth she caught Yamcha's eye and smiled. _Well I'm going to teach him it. I'm going to be his friend._

* * *

Dr. Briefs sighed tiredly, running a hand over his lavender hair and sliding a much-needed cigarette into his mouth. His stats for the new Gravity Chamber were all wrong. He puffed on his cigarette and sat up, before pushing himself away from his desk and heading towards the elevator. He'd done enough for today; he was tired and he wanted to actually have dinner with his wife and daughter tonight. Perhaps he could even persuade Vegeta to join them? _He must have some fascinating stories- a true Saiyan! A Saiyan Prince nonetheless- I wonder what technologies he is used to, perhaps I could pick up a thing or two? _He hummed idly as he strode into the hallway, his ears pricking at the sound of voices from the living room. He heard his wife's tinkling laugh and smiled as he rounded the corner and caught sight of her blonde head, nodding along to whatever Yamcha was animatedly saying. Neither saw him at first and so his eyes drifted around the room, resting on his blue haired daughter who was stood at the balcony, a china cup of tea in her hand. She was staring at something intently, and he squinted slightly, eventually catching sight of what seemed to have her attention: Vegeta was training on the lawn.

He smiled slightly and walked into the room, finishing his cigarette contentedly.

"Hey, Dr Briefs!" Yamcha grinned at Bulma's father cheerfully, and raised a hand in salute. Mrs Briefs turned around and smiled delightedly.

"Darling! Are you all done for today? I bought cream cakes!"

Dr Briefs smiled, and kissed her head affectionately, looking up and catching Bulma's eyes as she tore them away from Vegeta in surprise.

"I am. I thought it'd be nice if we had a big dinner tonight." He winked at Bulma and crushed his cigarette on an empty cake wrapper. "You're welcome to join us Yamcha."

Yamcha grinned wider, _Perfect- more time with Bulma,_ "That's great. Thanks."

"I thought perhaps we could invite Vegeta along too," Dr Briefs added, smiling at his wife as she hummed in agreement happily, "What do you think Bulma?"

Bulma nodded thoughtfully, "Sure. That's a good idea." _It'll be good for him to socialise more, he needs to work on his people skills. And it gives me more time to observe him and figure him out. _She grinned widely, _Vegeta's not going to know what hit him..._

"Ooh wonderful! He's such a dark horse! We really should spend more time with him- but he's so dedicated to his training!" Mrs Briefs cooed, her voice laced with awe over the Saiyan Prince.

Yamcha scowled but kept quiet. The whole damn family seemed to want Vegeta around! _Don't they realise the guy's a damn lunatic?! _He watched Bulma as she turned back to the window and realised she was watching Vegeta train. He frowned again, a small worm of worry slithering in his stomach. _Why is Bulma so interested in Vegeta anyway?_ He felt a pang of jealously. _Do I have something to worry about here?_ He shook himself, _Nah, don't be stupid, Bulma would never be into Vegeta. _But as he turned back to Mrs Briefs to finish his baseball story he couldn't completely rid himself of the unease he was beginning to feel.

* * *

After tea and cakes and Yamcha's seemingly endless chatter about baseball- _honestly, I don't know why he doesn't just stick with it, he's not a fighter anymore, he's a city boy now. The desert bandit has long gone - _Bulma excused herself and headed for the Gravity Chamber, determined to somehow apologise to Vegeta. She rolled her eyes at the thought- _I'm apologising to him_! - but was settled on her decision nonetheless. There was more to him than everyone thought, she knew that now. When Goku hadn't killed him when he had the chance Bulma had thought he was mad, but now she understood. Vegeta wasn't a villain; he was just lonely and misunderstood. She reached the Gravity Chamber and took a deep breath before knocking on the door loudly. There was no answer, as she had expected, but there was also no rude or angry order for her to go away. She frowned and knocked again, before pressing her ear against the door. Nothing. No sound at all. The windows had been tinted- after Yamcha had been caught watching him train Vegeta had insisted on tinted windows- so she couldn't look through them. Instead she did the unthinkable and logged herself in with the access code; if Vegeta was in there, no doubt he'd lose his rag completely for the interruption but Bulma was determined on making some sort of truce with him before dinner time.

The door slid open easily and Bulma squinted, surprised, into the darkness. He wasn't in there. A swell of panic caused her to rush in suddenly, a horrifying image of a gravely injured Vegeta lying helpless on the floor flooded her mind, and with a terrified squeak she knocked the lights on, "Vegeta!" she cried out, squinting around desperately as the lights flickered.

Finally they turned on, and with them, a flood of relief filled her. He wasn't injured. He simply wasn't in. She shook herself and let out a lungful of air she hadn't realised she'd been holding. _Thank Kami he's ok. _She leant against the control panel and sighed again. _Well now what? He's not here. How can I apologise and invite him to dinner if he's not even here?!_ She looked around her and noticed melted lumps of twisted metal scattered on the floor and she dropped to her knees to look at them. _Oh I forgot his Highness broke the bots again. _She chuckled to herself, thinking about her poor father's face when he saw what Vegeta had done to his new bots. _Hey! That's an idea! You could fix the bots! It'll be a surprise for him to get them done this quickly...and it can be my truce gift. Vegeta's a man of action rather than words anyway, so maybe this is the way to apologise? What the heck! I'll do up the whole Chamber and show him that we can start anew completely! _With a pleased grin, Bulma stood up and tied her hair into a messy bun, vowing to get it cut and styled sometime soon, before connecting to her father on the video-com to get him to send her tools over.

* * *

**please review and rate :D thanks**


	2. Attention

****

'Face to Face'

**Chapter Two: Attention**

'_I let the beast in too soon,_

_I don't know how to live _

_without my hands on his throat,_

_I fight him always and still.'_

Fiona Apple: _Fast as You Can_

* * *

Vegeta floated slowly down to the ground, his chest heaving with tired breaths, and when he reached the floor he trudged slowly towards the house, his mind locked on feeding his growling stomach. He glanced casually at the Gravity Chamber as he passed, and froze when he saw a flash of light from the inside. _What the hell is that? If that stupid human is in there again I'll make him wish he'd never been born. _He made his way over to the machine and pulled the door open in a flash, staring around curiously when no-one appeared to be in there. A sudden movement from behind the control panel caught his attention though, and he strode over, stopping in surprise when he saw the long, creamy legs poking out from underneath it. A moment later a small hand slunk out and searched around for something, before the fingers curled around a laser screw. He watched, amused, as the hand slunk back in and the two alluring, slender legs wriggled slightly, and his eyes fell to them, eyeing them slowly and –not for the first time- envisioning them wrapped around his waist, his fingers digging into the thighs…

"Shit." A soft curse distracted him and he tore his eyes from her legs just as Bulma's head appeared under the panel. She started when she saw his white boots and bumped her head on the panel, causing another curse to slip from her lips in pain.

Vegeta sneered, "You should be more aware of your surroundings woman."

She narrowed her eyes but willed her mouth shut; laying her head down and slinking her body slowly out from under the panel. Vegeta's eyes trailed up her slim curves appreciatively, and he had to shake himself to get the various enticing fantasies out of his head.

"For your information, I'm perfectly aware of my surroundings. I just didn't realise you were stalking me is all." She retorted primly, as soon as she was sat up and collecting her scattered tools from around her.

Vegeta scowled, "Stalking you? Why would I waste my time on a pathetic earthling? I came in here to find out what idiot was in my Gravity Chamber."

Bulma snorted, "_Your_ Gravity Chamber?! I hate to break it to you Monkey-Boy but since this is my land and my home, this is _my_ Chamber. And I happened to be fixing it up for you, although Kami knows why, you ungrateful git." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. _So much for making it up to him. Jeez I just can't stop arguing with him. He always gets under my skin._

Vegeta stared at her, confused, _It doesn't need fixing_. "What are you up to woman?"

"Firstly, my name is Bulma. And secondly, I'm not _up to_ anything! I was just updating the Chamber! Y'know, doing something nice for you!" she shot back, but her face flushed and Vegeta suspected there was something she wasn't telling him.

"Why? What do you want?" he snapped, folding his arms over his chest and staring at her suspiciously, his eyes scanning her face.

Bulma flushed further under his intense gaze and his eyes narrowed further. _Why is she blushing? What is she hiding?_

"Woman, I'm tiring of your silence. _What do you want_?"

Bulma huffed, "Oh for Kami's sake! I don't want anything! I was just doing it to apologize!" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. _He can so dense sometimes!_

Vegeta's face crumpled into confusion and his eyes widened, startled. "Apologize?"

Bulma nodded and fixed her tools into their box, avoiding his eyes as she explained, "I felt bad about earlier so I wanted to fix this all up for you."

Vegeta was stumped. _She felt bad? For arguing with me? Kami, this woman really is mad. A complete mystery._ He scowled to himself, _why should I care if she feels bad? She should. She should be grovelling at my feet! Humans and their damn emotions!_

Bulma looked up at him and he sneered at her, "I hope you're not expecting a thank you. Your stupid emotions rule you woman, and that's what makes you so weak."

Bulma narrowed her eyes and barged past him, pausing at the doorway to look back at him, "There's a dinner tonight. A proper dinner." She drew in a long breath and forced herself to sound semi-polite, "It'd be nice if you could come. It's in the Dining Hall at 9 o'clock." Watching his smirk disappear into surprise caused Bulma to giggle and she shot him a teasing wink, chuckling as she heard him growl angrily behind her as she made her way to the house to get ready for dinner.

* * *

Giggling all the way back to the house, Bulma reached the living room and collapsed onto the couch and grinned.

"Bulma, dear, where have you been? Oh," her mother's face appeared looming over her, her famously dippy smile across her face, "what's gotten you so happy?"

Bulma chuckled dryly, "Vegeta."

Mrs Briefs laughed gaily and undid her gardening apron from her waist, "Oh he can be so funny sometimes! A little dry perhaps! But he's such a fascinating man…so dedicated and passionate!"

Bulma snorted in a very un-ladylike manner, "Passionate? Dedicated? Mother, he's obsessive and insane!"

"Oh no darling, he's not! A little dramatic perhaps but just dedicated!" Mrs Briefs sat down on the couch next to her, her smile still in place, "He'd make a wonderful husband- so committed and such a hard-working, mysterious man!"

Bulma stared at her mother, who continued to smile sweetly, and frowned. A wonderful husband? Vegeta? _As if he'd ever marry! He thinks he's too good for everyone! Ah, but that's not true_, a little voice added, _you know he's lonely. And Mum's right, he is passionate…dedicated…he'd probably be the most loyal, intense lover._ She blushed at the thought and turned to look at her mother thoughtfully. Despite being renowned for being a cheery air-head, Mrs Briefs was actually quite perceptive when it came to men and relationships.

"You know, he's not so arrogant either Bulma. He notices a lot, pays a lot of attention to things…I think he wants to fit in!"

Bulma started at the depth in her mother's voice, and felt another pang of guilt._ He might be an ass, but he is lonely. He has no-one…_

"Oh I'm glad he's coming for dinner tonight! We really should get him around more people, dear." Her mother's voice was back to its normal, airy level and Bulma smiled and nodded along. "And you need the break too, you and your father have been working non-stop…poor Yamcha's feeling neglected!" she giggled at her daughter.

"Mum, Yamcha and I aren't dating anymore." Bulma sighed; the thought of Yamcha seemed to drain all her energy. It was odd how thinking about Vegeta seemed to pump her up and thoughts of Yamcha slowed her down. _Eugh, get a grip Bulma. You're just tired._

Mrs Briefs giggled again, "Well, I think we should have nice day getting ready and have a little treat. What do you say?"

Bulma glanced at her mother's smiling face and fingered an unruly curl. "Yeah, that sounds great."

* * *

Bulma beamed into the mirror. She looked bloody gorgeous! Her hair! It was silky smooth, shiny and hanging in the most beautiful shoulder-length cut. She turned to Zuuo – her stylist- and grabbed him by the collar and set a smacking kiss on his cheek. "You are a god!" she cried.

Zuuo grinned and flushed a little, "Well _you_ are a goddess my darling. I've never seen a girl so beautiful- especially with your hair!" he ran a hand through it gently and smiled.

Bulma beamed again as he carefully slid the covers off her shoulders and helped her up, leading her to the counter and sliding an orange bottle into a red printed bag.

"This is a gift. To keep your hair beautiful, my darling." Zuuo handed her the bag and she kissed him again in sheer delight, before zipping her card through the machine and making sure to add at least 200zeni as a tip. This man was a genius! He swept her out of the salon, grinning like a loon at his favourite customer and helped her pack her various bags and boxes into her car and waved her off, watching happily as her hair flew behind her.

Bulma practically loped into the café to meet her mother and twirled on the spot delightedly whilst her mother squealed admiringly.

"Oh darling, it's gorgeous!"

Bulma beamed, "Isn't it just? Zuuo is marvellous!" she stroked her hair again and smiled flirtatiously as a young waiter came to take their order. He stuttered and blushed as Bulma flirted outrageously, winking and swishing her hair.

"Oh you look so lovely. That cut suits you so much!" Her mother said, still smiling cheerfully as Bulma sipped at her cappuccino. "Yamcha will fall head over heels for you again!"

"Mother!" Bulma sighed exasperatedly, frustrated at herself for getting down about Yamcha. She should be excited about tonight, it'd be a lovely meal and they would both look gorgeous and flirt all night and her parents would be there….and _Vegeta_. She shook herself, trying to rid all thought of the Saiyan Prince from her mind, but he stayed in the back of mind, looming over her. Yamcha's face seemed to fade away completely. "He won't notice." She said quietly, not sure herself if she was talking about Yamcha or Vegeta and sighing in annoyance.

"Oh maybe not…but we know who will!" Mrs Briefs giggled and thanked the waiter profusely as he delivered their salads.

Bulma smiled, "Daddy will, I know."

Mrs Briefs giggled again, "Oh of course Daddy will! But I was talking about Vegeta!"

Bulma dropped her fork and hardly noticed as it clattered loudly against her plate. Her mother's eyebrows rose in surprised concern. "Vegeta?" her disbelieving voice seemed to echo around the whole café, and though she ignored the curious stares of the other customers, she lowered her voice slightly, "Mother, Vegeta wouldn't notice a thing about me, nor would he care!"

"Oh darling, of course he will! He notices all these things! He pays attention! I'm sure he'll think your hair looks lovely too!"

Bulma flushed and hissed, "Mother!" reproachfully, but couldn't figure out why she felt so embarrassed. It was only Vegeta. Sure, she was trying to befriend him and couldn't help but find him rather startlingly attractive and fascinating, but that was all. Why should the thought of him paying attention to her cause her to feel so flustered?!

"Oh I bet he'll look handsome in a tux." Her mother suddenly sighed dreamily and Bulma, though mortified, flushed deeper and couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Bulma stared at herself in the mirror long and hard and after a few minutes of contemplative silence she decided that the black dress was _definitely_ the right one. She ran her hands over the dress, smoothing it out and turning this way and that to admire how it fit her so snugly and so…_sensually_. It had a bustier-like top half, strapless to show off her full breasts, shimmering shoulders and slim arms. And the bottom half clung to her curves perfectly, hugging her tiny waist and ending just below her knees to reveal toned, creamy calves. She slipped her feet into the strappy black stilettos and twirled around, grinning at her reflection. She had to admit, she looked _good_. She reached for her jewellery box and slipped on a thick diamond bracelet and clipped a diamond broach into her hair, pinning it loosely so it piled lightly on her head and a few strands fell loosely to frame her face and neck alluringly. She glanced in the mirror one last time, sprizting a small amount of her favourite perfume onto her neck and wrists before stepping out into the hall and heading for the dining hall. She reached the doors and paused by the side of them, already able to hear Yamcha talking to her parents. She couldn't hear Vegeta, but that certainly didn't mean he wasn't there. The flutters in her stomach seemed to jerk more violently as his voice suddenly sounded, "Where is that woman?"

She couldn't suppress a nervous grin. He was there! _Kami, he's joined us! Wow! I wonder if he will notice my hair? And my dress? _Her stomach jolted nervously again and she could feel tiny tremors of apprehension and some sort of coiled up excitement in her body at the thought of walking in and seeing Vegeta, dressed up and gorgeous and staring at her intently as he always did. She sucked in a deep breath, plastered a smile onto her face and walked proudly into the room.

Her eyes immediately sought out her mothers and she beamed as her mother gasped aloud, causing the three men in the room to turn and look.

"Oh darling you look beautiful!" Mrs Briefs clapped her hands together.

"Thanks Mum, so do you." Her mother did look lovely too, wearing a sea-green, long, cap-sleeved dress. She glanced around quickly, catching sight of Yamcha's gaping face. She smiled at him coyly and he grinned widely.

"You look…_great_ Bulma." He said, tugging on his red tie and swallowing thickly. _Wow, she looks amazing_. He couldn't stop staring as she thanked him and turned to her father.

"Daddy, you look so dressed up!" Bulma turned away from Yamcha to grin at her father, who was dressed smartly in a grey suit. She couldn't help but giggle as he beamed.

"Thank you Bulma, and I must say your mother is right! You do look wonderful!"

"Oh she is so beautiful!" Mrs Briefs added, grinning widely, "Come on, let's sit shall we? Vegeta, you're over here," Bulma glanced over at Vegeta- who she had been determinedly not looking at- and started slightly as his eyes were locked fiercely on her. She gulped and felt a hot flush sweep up her face, but she kept her eyes on his and said, "Hello Vegeta…you look very, er," her mind seemed to melt as he shifted slightly as she scanned his appearance. He was wearing a smart black suit, with a white shirt and a black tie…it was simple, but very classic and he looked…_gorgeous, striking, dribble-worthy hot_, "nice." Thankfully her tongue settled on a subtler, simpler word.

He raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down, before smirking, and following her mother's gabbling instructions to sit at the end of the table. _Hm, the woman does look gorgeous. That dress_…he took in her appearance hungrily, his eyes intent on her full breasts and the way the dress curved over her slim waist and hips…

Bulma sucked in a breath and looked up, catching sight of Yamcha looking at her curiously, and hoping he hadn't been perceptive enough to notice what was making her blush, she winked and then smiled coyly again as he grinned widely, before making her way to her seat. She slid into it carefully, mentally wishing her mother hadn't placed her quite so close to Vegeta.

* * *

The dinner was lovely, the food perfect and everyone seemed to be in such a good mood. Even Vegeta had made polite enough conversation with her father. Bulma noted that her father was much more interested in anything Vegeta said then he was by Yamcha. She felt her curiosity about the Saiyan Prince grow as he answered her father's questions with his usual air of arrogance but also with careful consideration and eloquence. She had spent most of her night watching him carefully, marvelling at how well mannered he was – despite his ability to eat as much as Goku - and how much of a presence he was. Yamcha had been flirting with her all night, had been so charming and attentive and she felt flattered but also…almost _indifferent_ about it. Vegeta had captured her full attention. Seeing him sat in a suit, eating quietly at her dining table with her family had churned her gut. She kept wondering if he had ever done anything like this before, and what exactly had made him come in the first place, and how he was feeling as her mother fussed over him, and her father questioned him and what was running through his mind.

She knew he had noticed too, because he kept sending her questioning and suspicious glances, and she was half-expecting him to bellow at her any moment. But he didn't. He kept his mouth shut, and much to Bulma's surprise and fascination, he held his temper mostly in check all night. She could tell he found her mother overbearing, and Yamcha's raucous baseball tales irritating but he kept silent, only his ever-present frown and the occasional twitch of his eyebrow betraying his annoyance. Furthermore, he seemed to actually _respect_ her father. He listened to everyone intently- and Bulma had to admit her mother was right, he did pay attention- but especially to her father and, she was completely stunned, to _her_.

"Don't you think Bulma?" Yamcha's voice suddenly invaded her mind and startled her eyes away from Vegeta and round to him. She looked at him wide-eyed and felt her cheeks pink as the entire table gazed at her.

"Hmm?" she squeaked, chewing on her bottom lip as Yamcha frowned back at her suspiciously.

"You have been listening haven't you?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Before she could answer Vegeta let out a derisive snort, "Obviously not."

Bulma swung her head around to glare at him but he ignored her stare to continue talking to Yamcha, "She's obviously found something else more interesting." He looked sideways then, locking his eyes on Bulma and smirked smugly. She flushed and squirmed in her chair. Yamcha looked more confused than ever, and she angrily kicked out under the table, feeling a vicious sort of pleasure as her foot connected with Vegeta's shin and he let out a little surprised grunt.

_Sneaky woman, what does she think she's doing? Kicking me for pointing out the obvious? She hasn't been paying attention to the weakling all night._ Instead, Vegeta knew she had been staring at him, and he was frustrated to figure out why. But in the meantime he didn't mind humiliating her or the idiot with the information.

"Sorry Yamcha, I'm just so full I've been feeling a little sleepy. I must have missed what you said!" Bulma lied, smiling sweetly and feeling guilty as Yamcha frowned back at her. He seemed to buy her story though as he stretched back and grinned.

"Yeah I'm stuffed too. That was a great meal Mrs B!" he winked at Mrs Briefs who giggled before he shot Bulma another cheeky grin. Bulma couldn't help but smile- it was that exact grin which had caught her eye in the first place with Yamcha, the mischievous glint in his eyes, the way his lips upturned so easily. Her eyes drifted to his lips and then she looked back up, starting slightly as Yamcha caught her eye and stared back, his eyes dilated with desire.

Vegeta grunted again, and frustrated with him for ratting her out before, she kicked him again and then started in her seat as his hand shot down and encircled her ankle tightly.

Vegeta glared at her. _Don't push me woman._ Her eyes darkened fiercely and she flushed again, and his eyes dropped to her chest as it heaved against her dress as if she was struggling to get her breath. _She is gorgeous._ His grip loosened around her ankle and he relished the feeling of her silky soft skin under his hand, millions of erotic fantasies flashing through his head, and her eyes widened slightly and she looked away. Vegeta watched her curiously as she made conversation with the weakling, and moved his hand lower slightly, smirking as she stumbled over her words. _Hmm, this is an interesting development._

He rubbed his thumb over her ankle bone, causing a delicious shiver to run up Bulma's spine, before he suddenly dropped her foot to the ground. She jumped slightly as her heel clattered loudly, and then shot him a deadly glare. _Bastard, what did he think was doing? _

"Ooh, are you alright dear?" her mother asked, turning to Bulma.

Bulma nodded, "Fine, just banged my shoe on the floor accidentally."

Mrs Briefs nodded and smiled, "Well then, shall I call in for coffee and desert? You look like you could still eat some more Vegeta! Such a big appetite you've got!"

Vegeta merely raised an eyebrow and grunted in response and Bulma rolled her eyes. "Do you want desert or not Vegeta?"

He looked at her dispassionately and shrugged, "Sure. Why not."

Mrs Briefs clapped her hands together again, "Wonderful! I'll send through for the trolley now!" She motioned for one of the waiters to come over and asked him to bring the desert trolley up. He nodded and left the room swiftly.

"Well, I don't think I'll manage desert!" Yamcha said, stretching languidly. Bulma smiled at him.

"Hm, yes, your appetite really is fascinating Vegeta." Dr Briefs said thoughtfully, pulling a silver cigarette case from his suit and tucking a slim stick into his mouth. He held it there for a moment before lighting up. "I wonder just how different your genetics are to human cells."

Vegeta raised his eyebrows, "The Saiyan race is far more advanced than humans. We are stronger, faster, more agile and much better physical specimens."

Dr Briefs nodded along, but Bulma snorted, "Shame about your low intelligence levels then isn't it?"

Vegeta glared at her, "Low? Woman, my race had invented things your mind could never even fathom!"

"Yeah right Vegeta! I'd like to see you invent half the things Dad and I do!" Bulma shot back, itching to lean across the table and throttle the smug bastard.

Vegeta opened his mouth to argue but Mrs Briefs trilled out, "Desert!" and he looked over to where the waiter was nervously loitering in the doorway. He glared at the waiter and Bulma rolled her eyes as the young boy quivered, shakily pushing the trolley towards Vegeta's seat as her mother instructed.

He left it there and scampered the moment he had the chance, and Vegeta smirked smugly at his evident fear. _Good, these people should fear me. I'm the Saiyan Prince and I could crush this world if I so choose._ He picked a couple of plates off the trolley, not really caring what each desert was as they all smelt delicious. He had to admit- begrudgingly and _never_ out loud- that the Briefs family had high standards. He was always well fed and well serviced at their home, and he noticed the luxury they lived in compared to most other humans. And for that, they had earned his respect. Though he would never say it to her; Bulma was obviously intelligent and respected amongst the human race, as was her father, and despite her occasional idiocy, he knew she deserved it.

Annoyed at his thought process he shoved a forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth and glared at Bulma as she watched him eat. _If she doesn't stop staring at me I'll blast her in a minute! _As if she could read his mind, she hastily looked away and turned to talk to Yamcha.

Vegeta ate fairly slowly and silently, watching Bulma and Yamcha interact with a little interest. He scoffed silently as she laughed at the weakling's dim-witted jokes, and sneered as Yamcha complimented her adoringly- _like some little pansy boy_.

Bulma knew he was watching them, and some strange desire to make him jealous overcame her. _I'll show that grumpy git who he's messing with. He thinks he's so much better than me? Ha, he wishes. _She giggled girlishly at Yamcha, stroked his arm, batted her eyelashes and pouted prettily as he complimented her. She behaved like she had ten years ago when she had first been trying to get his attention and as he began to trip over his words and stare at her dreamily, she looked over to Vegeta and found him glaring at her in distaste.

She looked away again hastily, and felt annoyance swarm her. _Oh hell, why do I care what he thinks? …Because you're supposed to be trying to be his friend…Oh heck. I am, aren't I? And flirting with Yamcha isn't going to prove anything. Eugh. _She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, and spent the rest of the evening acting as normal with Yamcha, briefly wondering at what point she had stopped becoming excited at being around him and talking to him.

When Vegeta had finished his desert, her mother insisted on coffee, but Vegeta stubbornly refused. Bulma couldn't help but agree with him; she was beginning to feel tired and uncomfortable and confused under Yamcha's attentions.

"Oh well, goodnight darling," her mother said heartily, as Bulma excused herself and kissed her parents goodnight. "Good night Vegeta." She added cheerfully, and her husband echoed her sentiment.

Vegeta, pushing out of his seat, nodded his head in response and watched as Bulma carefully avoided Yamcha's eyes intent on her. She looked up briefly and smiled softly, "Goodnight Yamcha."

Vegeta almost sniggered aloud as the weakling's face fell as she left the room and he sneered at him as he past and followed her footsteps out of the room. He wasn't surprised when he found her waiting at the foot of the stairs, but he paid her no heed as he approached them.

He was just about to pass her when she reached out, her hand hovering in front of his chest hesitantly.

"Vegeta," she sucked in a breath and forced herself to look up at him, "thank you for coming tonight."

He stared back at her, frowning at the confusion and weariness on her face, and simply nodded back at her. Bulma, surprised at his polite behaviour, smiled slightly. "You, err, well, I hope you join us more often."

Vegeta's eyebrows rose, _she wants me to join them more often?_ He scanned her face suspiciously for any sign of hidden intention or mockery but there was none. _Hmm, what is going on with this woman? _He flicked his eyes over her again, noting how much better her hair looked when it wasn't in that ridiculous perm. "Your hair…it doesn't look so ridiculous anymore."

He hadn't really meant to say it aloud, and the shock of the half-compliment was plastered across both their faces.

"You noticed?!" Bulma asked, surprised. Yamcha hadn't and even her father hadn't commented!

Vegeta bristled, "My attention span is much better than that lunkhead's." He knew she had been comparing him to Yamcha and the thought churned a horrible, strange feeling in his stomach.

Bulma grinned, "Well, I didn't know I was in your attention span." She let out a little laugh, "Thanks anyway. Good night." She swept past him, still beaming and Vegeta gaped after her.

_In my attention span? The audacity! I don't give a damn about her…_He frowned after her silhouette moving up the stairs and angrily ignored the small voice that whispered, _Yes you do._

* * *

**please review and rate :D thanks**


	3. Realize

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Three: Realize **

'_Take time to realise_

_that I am on your side,_

_didn't I tell you?'_

Colbie Caillat: _Realize_

* * *

A week had passed since the night of the dinner, and Bulma knew that Vegeta was avoiding her. She found it both frustrating and funny, but couldn't quite figure out _why_ he would visibly tense when she was near.

She knocked loudly on the Gravity Chamber door, hooking her other arm tighter around her invention. He didn't answer, as she had expected, so she pressed the door alarm. The door slid open moments later and Vegeta, frowning deeply, started slightly as Bulma beamed up at him.

"What do you think you're doing woman? If you're interrupting my training for…" he started to growl, but with a distracting flick of her hair and a roll of her eyes, Bulma butted in.

"Chill out Vegeta! I came here to help."

Vegeta stared, "Help?" before letting out a derisive snort, "I don't need your help."

Bulma grinned wider, "Well, you might not need it, but after you see my latest invention you're going to want it." She raised her eyebrows smugly and tilted her chin proudly. The teasing glint in her eye caught Vegeta's attention and he smirked back.

"Really?" he drawled, crossing his arms over his bare chest and noting with interest how Bulma's eyes dropped and lingered there for a moment. _So, who wants it?_ He thought smugly.

"Oh yes," she brandished a silver contraption, covered with various coloured buttons and lights, and presented it to him.

He stared at it and then back up at her archly.

"It's a gift." She said, a little shyly, holding it out to him.

His eyebrows shot up. _A gift? What is this woman doing? I can't figure her out! One week she's screaming at me, the next she's making me gifts and acting like an obliging concubine! _He shook himself at that thought and turned his attention back to the box, reaching out and grabbing it roughly with one hand.

"Careful!" Bulma reached out instinctively and grabbed his hand, holding the box more firmly in his grip. Vegeta stared at her small hand covering his and felt a sudden lurch in his gut. She flushed under his gaze and withdrew her hand slowly, her fingertips lingering over his knuckles.

_Heck_, Bulma thought, breathless, _his skin is so hot to touch! I feel like I'm melting!_ She repressed a shiver and looked at him uncertainly. He was staring back at her, his face blank, but his eyes- something was glimmering behind the surface of the black orbs- and her breath caught in her throat. She gulped and this time could not contain a shiver as his eyes followed the line of her throat.

"What is it?" Vegeta suddenly growled, tearing his eyes from her creamy collar bone and suppressing the desire to surge forward and crush his lips against hers.

Bulma started, "Oh, erm, uhm," _Get a grip Bulma! _"it's an energy-reader. Well, actually, it's more than that. I based it on the original you had, but made it more anatomically specific. It will measure your power level but also show you where the most and the least progress is being made on your body…"

Vegeta stared again. _The woman actually __is__ a genius. This is perfect! With this, Kakarot will never be able to match me! I will have no weaknesses! _He stared at the machine and Bulma put her hands on her hips impatiently, "Well?"

Vegeta glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow coolly, "Well what?" He knew she wanted his opinion and by the nervous chewing on her lip he could see she was worried.

Bulma narrowed her eyes and Vegeta smirked, "It's adequate."

"Adequate?!" Bulma practically shrieked, before lowering her voice dangerously, "Fine, if it's only _adequate _I'll take it back."

Vegeta chuckled, "That wouldn't be very polite now, would it?"

Bulma scowled, "Fine." She turned away to stomp off but Vegeta's mouth twitched and she realised he was teasing her. She glared at him hotly, and he smirked fully, his eyes glinting with amusement and Bulma felt suddenly delighted. _He's actually joking around with me! _She couldn't help but chuckle too.

Vegeta's eyebrows shot up again and his smirk widened as he realised she had caught on.

"Very funny," she smiled, "but honestly, it will be more than adequate. You'll be _begging_ me for more of my stuff soon enough." She said, before turning away again, shooting a coy smile over her shoulder. "Have fun." She winked and before he could stop it a blush tinged his cheeks and his lips twitched into a brief smile.

"Damn woman." He murmured softly, watching her leave with a curious sense of affection and desire.

* * *

Later on that night, Bulma stood on her balcony, gazing at the flashing lights emitting from the Gravity Chamber. Vegeta hadn't come out of it all day. He hadn't left her _mind_ all day either. She had ended up giving up on her work as a lost cause; she simply couldn't concentrate on anything but the Saiyan Prince.

The Gravity Chamber suddenly shut down and Bulma watched as the door slid open and Vegeta emerged slowly. She watched as he made his way over to her mother's beloved garden and lay down on the grass, and before she could comprehend what she was doing, her feet were walking her out of her room, out of the house and towards him. She paused when she was a metre away and stared silently, her heart hammering in her chest.

"What do you want woman?" he suddenly growled, and Bulma jumped, before approaching him and sinking to the grass beside him softly.

He didn't repeat himself as she stayed silent, but he watched her intently as she lay beside him. She had been haunting his thoughts all day and he couldn't figure out _why_.

They lay, side by side, silent for a while.

Eventually Bulma looked over at him, "If Shenron appeared right now, and granted you one wish…what would you wish for?"

Vegeta looked at her and found himself pinned with her alluring blue eyes. "Ultimate power. Super-Saiyan ability." His voice was hard and serious and Bulma couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Is that it?"

Vegeta flinched angrily, "'_Is that it?!'_ Woman, you have no idea about the power of the Super-Saiyan!"

Bulma winced, "That's not what I meant!" she sat up and looked down at him, but he was determinedly looking away. "I only meant that we all know you're going to become Super-Saiyan anyway, so why waste a wish on something that's already going to happen?"

Vegeta's stomach gave that now all-too-familiar lurch he begun to associate with her. _She thinks I'm going to do it? _He stared at her wordlessly and she felt as if he was searching her very mind and soul. Eventually, he tore his eyes away and looked up at the sky.

"I believe in you. You're going to do it." Bulma whispered gently, suddenly wishing more than anything he would believe her and realise she did _truly_ believe in him. His eyes flicked back to hers and there was something lingering between them, but neither knew exactly what it was.

Vegeta nodded shortly, unable to find any words, and closed his eyes. _This woman… What does she want from me? Why is she being so nice? What is she doing to me?_ He opened his eyes and looked at her, where she was sat up, head tilted to the sky, eyes intent on the stars. As if sensing his eyes on her she turned her head to him and locked her eyes on his once more. _Kami, what is it about you Vegeta? Why am I so fascinated with you? What's going on with you, us?_ She let out a little sigh and slowly, gracefully, stood up.

Vegeta watched her, a pit of longing boiling in his stomach as she suddenly bent down and pressed her lips, so hot and soft, against his cheek. Vegeta froze and his hand lifted off the ground, almost grabbing her and pulling her to him. Desire flooded him as her lips left his and her full breasts hung enticingly, for a moment, in front of his face as she stood up. She moved away slowly, and whispered, "Goodnight Vegeta," before heading back to the house.

He watched her go, his senses completely alert to her, his desire increasing tenfold as he realised her own longing. He pictured himself following her into the house, taking her against a wall, his lips attached to her lips, her neck, her beautiful curves…he shook himself with a growl and pushed off the floor, determined to get her out of his head.

* * *

Vegeta woke up the next day, frustrated and unbelievably aroused by a dream about Bulma. _Damn woman, now she's haunting my sleep too!_ Though he could hardly admit that this was the first time the blue-haired beauty had been in his dreams. He threw his covers off angrily and stretched out, pulling on his training gear and marching to the kitchen. He sensed Bulma's presence before he even reached the kitchen and almost decided to miss breakfast when his body responded eagerly to the thought of seeing her. He shook himself furiously, _Get a grip on yourself. Don't be so damn pathetic._

He sauntered into the kitchen and saw Bulma, humming happily, wiggling her hips along to a song on the radio, grilling sausages.

"Do you mind? Turn that racket off, it's too early." He growled, sitting down at the table and helping himself to the piles of food already at the table.

Bulma started and beamed when she saw him, "Good morning to you too."

He frowned and kept his eyes on the food load in front of him. _Did she cook all this? What has gotten into her?_

Bulma noticed his curious gaze and put the sausages next to his plate and sat in the seat next to him, "I thought you might be needing bigger breakfasts from now on….Super-Saiyans probably have even bigger appetites after all!" she explained cheerfully, wanting him to know that she had meant what she said the night before: she really did believe in him.

Vegeta couldn't stop the half-smile quirk at his lips and he looked up, immediately wishing he hadn't. She was a little sweaty from where she had been cooking all morning, her cheeks were flushed, her lips red and parted as she fanned herself delicately. She looked exactly like she had in his dream and his mind reeled back to it: _her head was tossed back, his name slipping out huskily from her sensuous lips, her chest heaving against his as he plunged into her again, and again, and again…._

"Vegeta?" Bulma said softly, interrupting his thoughts. She was gazing at him questioningly and he glowered back at her in annoyed embarrassment.

"What?" he snapped, and her eyes widened before narrowing in irritation, and she crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently pushing her breasts up and causing them to strain against her thin, purple top. His eyes dropped to them, and he mentally punched himself for getting distracted again, looking up to catch her in mid-rant.

He rolled his eyes, and blocked out her voice, reaching over and cupping his hand over her mouth, leaning forwards and bringing his face mere inches from hers. His eyes glinted in wicked amusement.

Bulma froze against his touch and her eyes widened. He could sense her desire again and wanted nothing more than to satisfy both of them and take her against the kitchen floor. Her warm breath tickled his palm and sent shivers straight to his already half-erect penis. Her chest heaved and his eyes flickered down again and he leant closer still, able to _smell_ her want, and with a surge of triumph a smirk wormed it's way onto his face as he dropped his hand from her lips and moved away.

"Well, at last you've shut up." He drawled, smirking wickedly.

Bulma blinked and felt disappointment flood her, before it was replaced with indignant anger. "At least I'm capable of normal interaction that isn't just insults or grunts!" she snapped, pushing out of her chair and stalking out of the room, her eyes glittering with disappointment as she shouted, "Enjoy your breakfast you jerk!" before slamming the door shut, leaving Vegeta confused and angry; mostly with himself. _What the fuck were you doing? You should have just fucked her or blasted her! Bloody bint, who is she to get annoyed with me- the Saiyan Prince! _He bit into the sausage fiercely. '_Capable of normal interaction'- what the hell is she talking about? Would she rather I talk crap like Kakarot or that idiot weakling? Why does she care anyway?_ He didn't stop to wonder exactly why _he_ cared.

* * *

Bulma flung her bedroom door shut with a bang. _What an ass! Arrgh I hate him! _She grimaced at how easily he had distracted her. _Kami, I honestly thought he was going to kiss me! Eugh, Bulma, what were you doing?! _She got up off her bed and looked out the balcony doors, watching as the sun shone brightly and reflected off the pool. _Oh, stuff working today. It's too nice to slave over an ass like Vegeta. Besides, I haven't been for a swim for ages._

She grinned happily as she rifled through her messy drawers and pulled out her favourite, slinky red bikini. _Eat your heart out your Highness_, she thought smugly, _I'll show you how to __properly__ shut someone up! _She changed into the bikini and pulled a white tunic over her head, folding a towel over her arm and heading to the pool, a devilish smile playing on her lips.

* * *

Yamcha tightened the belt around his training gear and stretched out, heading to the massive stretch of land the Briefs casually called a garden, before suddenly stopping, in mid-step…Bulma was stretched out, like a cat, on a sun-lounger, clad in nothing more than a tiny, red bikini. He swallowed thickly and stayed frozen to the spot. _Woah, I'd forgotten how damn hot Bulma is._ His tongue felt like a lump of toffee in his mouth and he swallowed again, unable to tear his eyes off her beautiful, slim curves.

As if sensing someone's eyes on her, Bulma looked up and caught Yamcha stood nearby, gaping at her. She giggled and the noise snapped Yamcha's eyes away from her body guiltily and up to her face- he flushed deeply as she peered back at him coyly over the rim of her sunglasses.

"Alright Yamcha?"

Yamcha gulped and rubbed his neck nervously, "He he. Yeah, yeah, good, how about you?"

Bulma giggled again, "I'm great…just taking the day off, it's far too beautiful to work today!"

Yamcha nodded, his mind totally focused on a strand of hair that had escaped the messy bun on her head to curl alluringly down her neck. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the lounger, before standing up. Yamcha's eyes followed her eagerly as she stood at the edge of the pool.

"Going for a swim?" he asked croakily, mentally envisioning her nodding and inviting him to join her. His jaw dropped when she actually did just that. "Hell yeah!" he cried in response, pulling his robe off and rushing forward in only his shorts, grabbing her about the waist and toppling them both into the pool.

Bulma shrieked in surprise before they both sunk under the surface, and he kept his arms tight around her as she wriggled, finally bursting her head out of the water and gasping. His head popped up seconds later and he grinned cheekily.

"Thanks for the warning!" she scolded, her voice laced with sarcasm, but she was unable to suppress a laugh as he simply grinned back at her still.

"Well, that was the point!"

Bulma rolled her eyes, and pulled herself free of his grip, turning to swim away, before deliberately kicking hard and splashing him.

"Ha! Is that a challenge?!" Yamcha grinned wider still, before diving at Bulma, and she turned away with a laughing shriek.

* * *

A few hours later, after a few water-fights and a half-arsed attempt at one-on-one water volleyball, Bulma and Yamcha got out the pool. Yamcha held his hand out to Bulma and pulled her clean out, relishing in the feel of her soft skin under his hand as he wrapped his arms around her and carried her, laughing, to the sun-lounger.

"Oh, you're such a gentleman!" she giggled, winking as he set her down.

Yamcha grinned, "Anything for you Bulma."

"Well, I think that earns you a drink!" she stood up and Yamcha stared after her as she made her way into the house, his stomach fluttering pleasantly. _Man, I've missed her- we have great fun together. Why have I hardly seen her? Why aren't we together?_

Bulma returned, carrying a tray of various coloured drinks and Yamcha cheered. _Awesome, Bulma makes the best cocktails! _

She set the tray down on the table between them and grinned, "Voila!"

"This is ace Bulma…we should do this more often." He said, pouring them both a blue drink, and looking up at her seriously.

Bulma blushed slightly under his intense gaze and stared back at his friendly face, his brown eyes sparkling lightly, and she thought how different he was to Vegeta and how different she felt around them both. She felt so comfortable and relaxed and cheerful around Yamcha, and around Vegeta she was on edge, on a rush, but also strangely…at _home_. She shook herself and realised Yamcha was waiting for a response of some sort. She smiled lightly, "We should." She tried to ignore the image of Vegeta's face so close to hers from that morning.

Yamcha grinned again and handed her a glass, before raising his own and exclaiming, "Cheers to that!"

Bulma smiled again, and clinked her glass with his. "Cheers."

* * *

Vegeta emerged from the Gravity Chamber, knowing he was making progress at last. He grinned triumphantly and his stomach rumbled loudly. He made for the house when he heard the woman shrieking loudly. He scowled, _what trouble has that lunatic gotten herself into now?_ And he made his way in the direction of the noise, rounding the corner and almost exploding in sudden, uncontrollable rage. He saw Yamcha had her in his arms, in mid-air, dangling her teasingly above the pool. The look on his face was so smug and affectionate that Vegeta wanted to blast him on the spot. His eyes drifted to Bulma, who was laughing and shrieking madly, and as his gaze settled on her he realised what she was wearing. _What the bloody hell_…his eyes bulged. She was in nothing but a red halter-neck bikini, the almost entirety of her creamy-skinned, toned curves on display. Yamcha suddenly spotted Vegeta and started at the fury on his face, lowering himself and Bulma to the ground silently.

"Oh you lunk-head!" Bulma laughed, smacking his arms, before glancing around curiously at the look on his face. She too started when she saw Vegeta and she immediately wriggled out of Yamcha's hold, flushing as Vegeta's eyes locked on hers.

"Well, what do you want?" she snapped, after a moment's uncomfortable silence in which her gut churned.

Vegeta scowled, _So she's finally dropped her nice-girl act? _"Could you two morons keep it down? Some of us aren't actually wasting our time."

Yamcha rolled his eyes and stepped in before Bulma could even open her mouth to snap back at him, "Whatever Vegeta. We're just having some fun. Not jealous are you?" he taunted.

Vegeta's scowl deepened and he flushed.

Bulma stared, _Is__ he jealous?_

"Why exactly would I be jealous?" Vegeta snarled, clenching his fists furiously.

Bulma smirked, "Probably because we know how to have fun."

Vegeta's eyes locked back onto her, and he couldn't help the uncontrollable wave of desire and furious temptation to blast Yamcha away from her.

Bulma's smirk widened as she saw Vegeta eyeing her and a neon-sign of REVENGE! flashed in her mind. "Or maybe it's because you like what you see?"

Vegeta's eyes shot up to hers and he felt like he'd been hit with a well-aimed punch by Kakarot when he saw her triumphant smirk and the mischievous glint in her eyes. Yamcha froze behind her, _Is she flirting with him?_

Vegeta inwardly applauded her. _Such a temptress. But no-one can beat the Saiyan Prince. _"You're not fit for a Prince, woman."

Bulma gaped, indignant and hurt, and she scowled, before grabbing her tunic. "You're not fit for me more like. Who would ever want you? Your own bloody planet didn't!" she hissed as she passed him.

Vegeta grabbed her arm and swung her to him, "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled, his voice dangerously low.

"You know what it means, you jerk!" Bulma sneered, mentally wondering why she was so bothered by what he'd said._ So what? It's not like you want to be with him anyway, right?_

Vegeta's grip tightened on her arm, "You don't what you're talking about woman, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut." He brought his face closer to hers, ignoring his body's response at having her- in such little clothes- so near to him again.

"Oi! Let her go!" Yamcha suddenly shouted, getting into his fighting stance, angry at Vegeta's arm on Bulma's wrist and also feeling as if he was missing something, or intruding on a private moment as they glared at each other, mere inches away from one another.

Vegeta sneered at him, "Stay out of this if you want to live, weakling." But he let go of Bulma's arm nonetheless.

Bulma stared at him and felt her anger dissipate_. What are you doing? You're never going to reach him if you keep pushing him away! How do you expect him to believe you're on his side if you don't even act like it?!_ Much to Vegeta's, and Yamcha's, surprise, she reached out and tentatively touched his arm.

"I'm sorry." She said gently, and Yamcha gaped.

Vegeta stared at her, and once again she felt like he was searching, _reading_, her soul.

_She's sorry?! This woman…arrgh she's so confusing! _Vegeta watched her, trying to gauge from her face if she was serious or not.

Under his gaze, she crossed her arms over her chest- feeling even more naked than she was- inadvertently, again, pushing her breasts up. Vegeta's eyes dropped to them and he licked his lips, smirking as she let out a little nervous sigh.

_Holy Kami, if he keeps looking at me like that I can't be held responsible for what I'll do! _Bulma thought, catching the mysterious glint return to his eyes. To distract herself, and make things more light-hearted, she said, "But you've got to admit I _do_ look damn good."

Vegeta, startled and amused by her audacity, let slip a little chuckle, and Bulma felt a surge of triumph and delight.

Vegeta smirked and raised his eyebrow at her, "You look adequate."

Knowing he was teasing her, Bulma couldn't help but grin as she turned back to the sun-lounger, winking slyly over her shoulder, "Thanks." Then she caught sight of Yamcha's confused and hurt face, and she looked at the floor nervously, shooting one last glance at Vegeta just as he was glancing at her, before he turned and walked away. She stood still and eventually looked up, opening her mouth but Yamcha spoke first.

"What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed.

"Nothing! I'm just trying to get along with him." she replied casually, pulling her tunic over her head and avoiding his eyes.

Yamcha frowned, "Jeez Bulma, why? The guy is an asshole…he's a murderer!"

Bulma frowned and put her hands on her hips, "For Kami's sake Yamcha, just stop it."

"Stop it? Stop what?! Stop telling you the truth about your damn precious Prince?!" Yamcha spat angrily.

"Why do you hate him so much?!" Bulma cried, "He's changing Yamcha! Besides, you _know_ what he's been through! You wouldn't have been able to handle it!"

"What?! You're on his side?!"

"He's on our side!" Bulma cried, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Our side?! Bulma- Vegeta is a murderer! He only serves himself!"

"You are such an idiot! Don't you remember what Piccolo used to be like?! He was against us too- he tried to kill us all too once, but now he's on our side, he's changed- and I don't hear you complaining about him!" she pointed out angrily.

"That's, that's…that's totally different!" Yamcha spluttered.

"No it's not! It's exactly the same! So whatever problem you have with Vegeta, you need to get over it- just like you managed to with Piccolo!" Bulma stormed off furiously. _Honestly, he is such an idiot sometimes. He knows what Vegeta lived like- he knows why he was like he was, like he is, and he damn well knows that Vegeta __is__ and already has changed! Heck, what's his problem?!_

Yamcha stared after her, wordlessly, his heart sinking. _She's kind of right. But man, I hate him. But why doesn't Bulma? What's going on with them two? _He thought back to their argument; how they had stood so close together, eyes locked fiercely, and the air around them seemed to crackle with energy that Yamcha knew was more than just Vegeta's power-_ Something's going on here, and I'm going to figure out what._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapters: they were much appreciated!**

**Please review and rate :D thanks **

**A/N: i got inspired for the Shenron-question bit by another V/B fanfic I read a while ago, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was by, or what it was called or anything! So if anyone knows- or if it was yours- then I thank you profusely for writing a great fanfic, and apologise for borrowing your idea and editing it to my own devices :D**


	4. Want

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Four: Want**

_'It's not meant to be like this,_

_not what I planned at all._

_I don't want to feel like this._

_No it's not meant to be like this,_

_It's just what I don't need. _

_Why make me feel like this, _

_It's definitely all your fault.'_

Imogen Heap: _The Walk_

* * *

Unbeknownst to Bulma, Vegeta had heard her entire argument with Yamcha. He was stood, still and lost in his thoughts, by the back door, and he heard Bulma slam the French doors into the living room loudly. Her words echoed around his head insistently. _'He's changing Yamcha! Besides, you know what he's been through! You wouldn't have been able to handle it!'…'He's on our side!'_

He scowled, _What the hell does she know about me? About my life and my history? Why the hell is she sticking up for me? Isn't she supposed to be in love with that buffoon? _He couldn't understand Bulma at all- and worse still, he couldn't understand or escape the sheer pleasure and pride he had felt when she had defended him. He knew- though he would _never_ admit it out loud- that there was something about her that was getting under his skin, and he was furious with himself, and her, for letting it happen. _I don't have time for this nonsense…the woman is an inconvenience. She is beautiful, true, but she is still no more than another idiot human in the end. I must get her out of my system. And there are only two ways to do that…_

* * *

Yamcha climbed out his shower feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. He'd managed to shake his argument with Bulma out of his head with some rigorous training. Now, he was determined to sort things out between them. He pulled on some simple black jeans, and then looked in his wardrobe, spotting a white rock t-shirt that Bulma had bought him at a gig of his favourite band that they had gone to years ago. He pulled it on and grinned. _She always liked it when I wore this…man, it reminds me of when we were together…this will show her I still care._ He styled his hair with his usual care and styling wax, before pulling on some red converse and looking in the mirror one last time to make sure he looked good. He did. _What am I going to say? Should I just apologise? Should I get flowers? Hell, I haven't done this in so long…but, c'mon Yamcha! You've known Bulma for years….you've been together for years!_ With renewed confidence he set out for her bedroom, and suddenly remembered what Goku had said to Bulma about having a baby and wondered with a grin if that was Goku's idea of giving Yamcha a hint. _Well, I'm getting it now Goku. Next time I see you, I promise that Bulma and me will be married with that baby you were talking about! Ha, if this all works out we'll even name it after you!_

* * *

Bulma put her head in her hands and sighed, before running them through her hair and staring at herself in the mirror. _What is going on with me? Why did I yell at Yamcha so much? It's not like he has a reason to like Vegeta- although he was being a hypocrite. But why does it mean so much to me to befriend Vegeta? Why does __he__ mean so much to me all of a sudden?_

She blamed the dream she'd had of him- way back when they had met the boy from the future. If it hadn't been for that dream she was sure she would never have looked at Vegeta in such a different light…

_-- Bulma sat on the balcony, staring up at the sky and watching Goku and Gohan train sadly. She wished she could fight; she wished she could be properly useful for once. She watched them silently before a noise behind her made her jump, and she swivelled around to see Vegeta, leaning casually against the door, looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. _

"_Why aren't you training up there?" Bulma asked him, and he shrugged, strolling out to stand beside her._

"_I would be if I was you! I'd love to be able to fight like that!" she cried, putting her chin in her hands and sighing sadly. _

_Vegeta turned to her and said, "Why do you need to fight? Kakarot protects you."_

_Bulma frowned, "I want to be able to protect myself! I want to be useful!" She stood up and leant against the rails, staring up at the two sparring men wistfully._

_Vegeta reached forward and cupped a hand under her chin, tilting her head towards him. "You are useful. You always will be." And he leant down and kissed her hard on the mouth, pulling her to him as his tongue slipped into her mouth and she melted against him…--_

She growled into her hands, _Argh! I'm beginning to wish that bloody dream had never happened! If it hadn't I'd have never woken up that day and started to question everything about him! I'd still just ignore him, I'd probably have gotten back together with Yamcha…heck, we'd probably even be engaged now! I mean, didn't Goku allude to a baby or something?! _Her stomach churned slightly at the thought, _I don't want to marry Yamcha though…do I? Oh…I don't know what I want anymore, I'm so confused. _She sighed again,_ Damn you Vegeta. _

* * *

Yamcha knocked on Bulma's door and heard no response. "Bulma?" he called out, pressing his ear against the door to see if he could hear her moving around inside or something. "Bulma?" he called again, but there was still no reply. _Hmm, she might be ignoring me or something…well, only one way to find out. _

He pushed her door open and started slightly when he saw her, curled up, asleep on her bed, wrapped in her cream quilt like a mummy. He grinned slightly. _She always did steal the covers. _He tiptoed quietly over to her bed and looked down on her, grinning wider at how childlike she looked in sleep. She always curled up; head tucked tightly into her chest, legs wrapped around one another, duvet clutched close to her. She always looked like she was frightened and cold. He reached out a hand to touch her, but decided against it, not wanting to wake her, so his hand hovered there for a moment, and she suddenly woke up, letting out a startled shriek when she saw something looming over her bed and kicking out viciously as Yamcha tried to back away. Her foot connected suddenly and painfully with his face and they both let out a yelp of pain, and Bulma finally struggled into a sitting position.

She stared around wildly and let out a huff of breath when she saw Yamcha, "What the hell were you doing?! You scared the hell out of me!" she bellowed.

Yamcha glowered, "You kicked me in the face!" he was holding his hand over his left eye.

"Well you were leaning over me in my sleep! What did you do that for?!" Bulma shouted back.

Yamcha scowled, but kept his mouth shut for a while. When she stayed silent too he remembered he had come to make up with her. "I came to apologise. About earlier."

Bulma frowned slightly, before remembering their argument about Vegeta. "Oh, right. Err."

Yamcha grinned sheepishly, "Sorry."

Bulma let out a little laugh, "It's fine. I'm sorry I kicked you. Are you ok?"

Yamcha lowered his hand and Bulma winced. His eye was already swollen and red.

"Gosh! I'm sorry Yamcha! Here, let's get you some ice!" She scrambled out of bed and beckoned him to follow her. He did so with a dry chuckle.

"That's some kick you've got there Bulma. Maybe you should be fighting the androids too!"

Bulma let out another little laugh, "Thanks!" She reached the kitchen and pulled out a chair for Yamcha to sit in. He did so and watched her rifle through her freezer with a feeling of contentment. _Sure, I've got a black eye, but heck, Bulma isn't mad at me, she's looking after me! Maybe this is what it'd be like if we married._ He smiled as Bulma wrapped some ice in a tea towel and pressed it gingerly against his eye. "That should reduce the swelling a bit. Jeez, I'm really sorry about that."

Yamcha shook his head, grinning as she wrapped her fingers around his chin to hold his head still. "Nah, it's my fault. I shouldn't have made you jump like that. I know what you're like in bed after all."

The innuendo caused them both to glance at each other suddenly, and Bulma looked away with a blush. Yamcha couldn't but grin wider as she bit her lip, and he slid his hand across the table to poke a finger through her belt loop and tug her closer slightly.

Bulma swallowed, and was stunned to find her stomach churning uncomfortably. She normally welcomed Yamcha's touch, but for some reason she didn't feel quite right about it. She leant away, and said, "Well, it should be fine really. It'll just be a black eye." in a business-like tone that left Yamcha startled. His finger remained looped in her shorts though, so she couldn't entirely move away, and some small part of her didn't want to anyway. Hadn't she always thought her and Yamcha were meant to be? So why was she pushing him away now? Why wasn't she relishing in his attention? He looked up at her, and she knew he was going to ask her something serious, and Bulma couldn't help but feel relieved when the door swung open and her mother breezed in, carrying a completely full brown paper grocery bag. Mrs Briefs didn't notice the looks on both their faces as she smiled chirpily, "Hello!"

Bulma smiled weakly as Yamcha let her loose at last. "Hi Mum, have you been shopping?"

Mrs Briefs beamed, "Ooh yes, I got a little feast in tonight. I thought we could have a barbeque, I know Vegeta likes them so much!"

Yamcha scowled. _I'm sure they never accommodated __me__ this much. _But nevertheless he offered a hand in carrying the shopping in, and Mrs Briefs thanked him profusely. He shot Bulma a look which clearly said, 'I want to talk later' and then left to collect the rest of the shopping.

Bulma nodded shortly. _Oh, I just can't handle this right now…I need to sort my head out._ With no explanation to her mother she set off for her lab, determined to distract herself and clear her head with some good old-fashioned, hands-on engineering work.

* * *

Vegeta rubbed himself down with a towel and pulled on black jeans and a black t-shirt, his lip curling in distaste when he caught sight of the pink shirt Bulma had made him wear when he had come back from space before the boy from the future showed up. _Bloody woman, she lied! Men here hardly wear pink at all! _He smirked. _Well, she's getting her comeuppance very soon._

He headed to the lounge, where she had last been, and scowled when he found it empty. He heard a noise from the kitchen and stalked in there.

"Vegeta! There you are!" Mrs Briefs beamed as he entered the kitchen. "We're having a barbeque tonight- I know how much you like them after all! It'll be starting in about two hours or so!" she said cheerfully, waving her hand vaguely at the mass of meat she was putting in the fridge.

Vegeta grunted and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Where is she?"

Mrs Briefs giggled, "Oh, you mean Bulma?"

He gritted his teeth, "Yes…Bulma." Her name sounded odd on his lips, but he found he rather liked it. He scowled again.

Mrs Briefs smiled, _Such an interesting man. _"She's in her lab," she turned around to continue putting the meat in the fridge, "Y'know, I think she's working on something for you…" she turned back around but Vegeta had already gone. _Oh yes, __very__ interesting. _

* * *

Vegeta reached Bulma's lab quickly and didn't bother knocking, instead he sauntered right in, quietly though, and froze in his tracks when he saw her….she was bent over slightly, her long legs out on show again, her bottom arched up, her vest top riding up to reveal a sliver of her smooth back. He gulped slightly and narrowed his eyes. _Bloody woman always catches me off guard…well, for no longer._ He smirked and strode over to her, sliding an arm around her waist, up to under her breasts, and pulled her flush up against his chest, his other hand gripping at her hip. Bulma dropped her spanner with a surprised squawk and wriggled, her head twisting around and she sucked in a breath when she came face to face with Vegeta.

She tried to speak, to ask him what the _hell_ he was doing, but the look on his face silenced her. He was smirking wickedly, his eyes glinting dangerously, and he looked so _predatory_ and seductive. He raised an eyebrow smugly. _Hmm, she's speechless for once; perhaps I should do this more often. _And then he pushed her forward, so she was wedged tightly between his body and the table. Her head dropped away from him and down and she clutched the edges of the table as she tried to catch her breath. Her soft hair tickled his face as it fell away and exposed her neck, and with a surge of desire he leant down and bit her, marking his teeth against her flesh.

Bulma gasped and her head fell back against his shoulders as he trailed the bite mark with his tongue, exposing more of her neck and shoulders and he kissed down her neck and to her collarbone hungrily, eyeing her heaving breasts with longing. He twisted her around suddenly and picked her up, nudging her legs apart with his knee and dropping her on the table, manoeuvring his way to between her thighs in one swift movement. He gripped her hips tightly and stared down at her intently.

Bulma gazed back at him, the desire in her eyes reflecting his, and he found- with some surprise- a spark of warmth in her blue orbs and he pressed forward and kissed her…_At last._

It was like he'd powered up- his entire body crackled the moment his lips touched hers. He felt as if he was somehow being burnt alive, but with pleasure. His mind was suddenly awash with confusion and he kissed her keenly, her lips eager under his and he growled with delight as her hands snaked up and clutched at his shoulders, her thighs tightening around his waist and bringing him closer to her.

Bulma felt like her heart had exploded in her chest and her entire body tingled. She gasped into his mouth and couldn't stop herself from pressing herself against him, her back arching to grind her hips and chest against his. Suddenly his mouth left hers and she almost moaned, gazing at him in wonder and confusion.

Vegeta pulled away slightly, and tried to calm himself down. _Fucking hell- what's wrong with me? One kiss and I'm quivering like a boy! _He stared down at her, his eyes flickering across her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, and her eyes locked on his.

"Vegeta…" she breathed softly and something about the way it slipped sensually, laced with desire, through her lips sent his senses into overdrive and with another animalistic growl he bent down again and kissed her fiercely. He was a little surprised, but smug, when she kissed back with equal fervour, her mouth opening under his eagerly, and his tongue slid against hers. His hands slid up from her hips and she moaned into his mouth as they slid under her top and gripped at her waist, his thumbs brushing teasingly against the underside of her breasts.

She wriggled closer to him still and locked her arms tighter around his shoulders and neck. They kissed passionately, writhing against and gripping one another desperately - and just as his hands were sliding further up her top, just hovering over her lace-covered breasts- Bulma's foot hit the table behind Vegeta, sending the files precariously stacked on it to the floor with a resounding crash.

The sound startled them and they tore their mouths away from one another in surprise. When they realised what had happened, Bulma blushed lightly and looked down, and Vegeta pulled slightly away. Bulma looked up at him, but his face was completely impassive. _Oh heck, what just happened?_ Her entire body was tingling deliciously, and her heart was hammering painfully against her chest. Vegeta shifted away again and Bulma let her legs and arms fall away from him numbly. He withdrew his hands from her top and she blushed further. _Kami, who knows what we would have done if that hadn't interrupted us! _

Vegeta gathered his senses together, his mind clearing now he was away from her. _You fool; you almost let your emotions get the better of you. _He looked at her steadily, _I need to get her out of my head and fuck her before this gets out of hand._ He sensed her own desire and smirked, _She obviously thinks so too….well, woman, I'm going to leave you begging for it. You should be grovelling at my feet for me to touch you anyway. I'm the Prince of all Saiyans after all. _He snaked a hand around her neck and pulled her off the table and against him gruffly, kissing her hard. And just as quickly as he had done it, he pulled away again and strode from the room, leaving Bulma breathless and clutching the table for support. _Oh…Wow._

* * *

Yamcha watched as Vegeta exited Bulma's lab, his face set with fierce determination and smug pleasure. Yamcha frowned, _What's the betting he's just gone and demanded some new toy?_ He waited until Vegeta was out of sight before he went in himself.

Bulma was sat on her tools table, her eyes glazed and her hand at her lips, looking pensive but dazed too. She started when the door slid open and Yamcha strolled in.

He grinned, "Alright?"

"Hi." She said breathlessly, swallowing and forcing a grin on to her face. "Everything ok?" she slipped off the table and her legs felt wobbly and weak. She leant back against the table casually and kept the smile plastered across her face, so not to belie her whizzing mind. _Holy Kami, Vegeta just kissed me…three times! And the way he looked at me_…she shivered slightly. _What on earth is going on? Why did he do it? And I kissed him back….jeez…It was __amazing__._ She realised Yamcha was speaking to her and she nodded, smiling still and pretending to listen.

"So, you're ok? We're ok?"

Bulma paused, _Crap…what was he saying? _He looked so earnest though she had to smile back, "Of course. Everything's fine." She stood up straight and slapped herself mentally. _Get a grip Bulma, it was just a kiss. From Vegeta...but just a kiss!_

Yamcha grinned, _Yes! She's cool with me! She accepted my apology!_ He walked over to her and peered at the work she was doing, before noticing the files on the floor. "Having some fun in here, are you?" he teased, raising his eyebrows with a cheeky grin.

Bulma's cheeks pinked and she let out a nervous laugh, "Something like that."

* * *

"Ah, so you don't think that Tien has a crush on me?!" Yamcha grinned, as he walked Bulma to her room.

Bulma laughed, "Oh no, not at all. He's totally into Piccolo."

Yamcha howled with laughter, "Ha ha! Can you imagine? Tien and Piccolo gay?! With each other?!"

Bulma burst out laughing too. Yamcha had spent the last hour or so with her in the lab and once she had relaxed and put Vegeta to the back of her mind, they'd started to chat and have a real laugh. She felt so relaxed and cheerful and was relieved she was no longer finding herself shrinking from him, although she couldn't help but compare it to Vegeta's scorching hot touch and she couldn't deny that the Saiyan Prince was always lurking in the back of her mind…

"Like a bad smell." She murmured aloud and then blushed when Yamcha turned to her quizzically.

"Huh? Where?" He took a big sniff and Bulma laughed again.

"Nothing, never mind."

Yamcha grinned back at her, his eyes alight.

Bulma realised she had reached her bedroom, "Well, I need to shower."

Yamcha simply grinned again and nodded.

"Well, I'll see you at the barbeque." She waved her hand slightly and smiled, and Yamcha nodded again and leant down, placing a soft kiss on her cheek, before winking and turning off.

Bulma stared after him and smiled softly. _Oh, he's lovely. _

* * *

**thanks again to all the reviewers, especially to Ninetendocat, who has thus far reviewed all chapters and I hope will continue to do so :D cheers!**

**please review and let me know what you think, it's always ace to get reviews and comments :D thanks**


	5. Resolutions

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Five: Resolutions**

_'Say my name, say my name, say my stupid name,_

_It's stupid how we always seem to do it again._

_You're so stupid and perfect, and stupid and perfect,_

_I hate you, I want you, I hate you, I hate you,_

_Again, again, again.'_

The Bird and The Bee: _Again & Again_

* * *

A few weeks had passed since the day of the barbeque and Bulma had been avoiding both Vegeta and Yamcha like they had the plague. The entire day haunted her constantly and she had honestly never felt so confused in her entire life. Vegeta seemed to have been at the barbeque with the main purpose of leaving Bulma quivering and blushing at every movement and sound he made. He had been brushing against her all night, trailing his hands across her when no one was looking, staring at her continuously; smirking dangerously at every opportune moment…he had practically _radiated_ sex. _And the bloody bastard knew it. _Yamcha, on the other hand, had gone out of his way to be a gentleman; he had rushed around her like a maid, sent her gooey-eyed glances all night and complimented her like it was going out of fashion. She felt like she was in heat; both men seemed determined to win her over.

Although she knew that was a bit far-fetched…Vegeta probably wanted nothing more than a quick shag. _Well, sod him, he's not getting one._ But Bulma had been clever enough to figure out that the only way she could avoid a repeat of the lab incident- as she had mentally coined it- was to avoid him completely. As much as it pained her to admit, she could barely control herself when he simply _glanced_ at her. And Yamcha, _blimey- it feels like he's going to propose any minute!_ She had figured out he was trying to win her back, but she was feeling so caught off guard at how _romantic_ he was being. Yamcha had never fawned over her before, and she wondered at what exactly had spurned him on to do so now.

Whatever reasons that was causing either of the two to behave as they were; Bulma had decided she should simply leave them to it. Yamcha- she hoped- would chill out and go back to his normal, cheeky self…and Vegeta, well, all she could do was avoid him until her hormones got their act together. _Bloody treacherous things they are! Hormones! Pah! Nonsense! I'm lucky I have a brain otherwise I'd be his damn sex-slave by now!_

To keep herself distracted she had locked herself away in her lab and avoided eating regularly and at normal hours. She felt a little bad, as her parents were both worrying, but she also knew she needed the time to get her head together. Besides, she was doing important work.

She looked down at the machine and let out a sigh. Complications seemed to be popping up from every angle and she was beginning to feel the strain. She needed a break…two and a half weeks non-stop on the damn thing and it still wasn't even half done!

"Eurrgghh…" she groaned into her hands and pressed her palms to her eyes. "I've got to get over this," she sat up straight, determination spreading across her face. "I've got to stop hiding away. I'm a grown woman. I can handle Yamcha and Vegeta – for Kami's sake I've known Yamcha for years and Vegeta, well, let's just say I'm not finished with him yet either. I'm going to figure him out!" She stood up and nodded soundly. "Yep. I'm not hiding anymore." Her stomach growled suddenly and she let out a little giggle, "But first things first, I've got to go eat!"

* * *

She reached the kitchen and found Yamcha sitting at the table, stuffing his face with sandwich after sandwich, his face buried in the sports section of a paper. She rolled her eyes and walked in, head held proudly, and nicked a sandwich off his plate, grinning before taking a bite out of it as he turned surprised eyes to her.

"Hey, you're alive!"

Bulma rolled her eyes and swallowed, "Ha ha."

Yamcha grinned, "I was wondering when you were going to resurface." He watched as she simply smiled back at him and reached for another sandwich. "What have you been working on?"

Bulma shook her head and held up her hand, indicating for him to wait a moment whilst she finished her mouthful. "It's a secret."

"Aww, I hate secrets!" Yamcha whined playfully, before snatching up another sandwich and taking a large, messy bite from it. Bulma curled her lip in disgust and he stuck his tongue out at her, giving her an eyeful of his mashed up sandwich.

"Eww! Yamcha!" Bulma cried, recoiling away, but also feeling immensely relieved. He was back to normal at least.

Yamcha had indeed dropped his romantic ways. He had known he had something to do with Bulma's sudden hermit-like nature, and he had wondered if he had scared her off being so keen and over the top. He figured that if they had worked before as they were then that was all he needed to do- be himself and give it time. He swallowed and grinned.

"Well, Vegeta hasn't taken kindly to your absence." He was grinning widely, clearly finding the subject very amusing, and not noticing Bulma's body tense up at the mention of the Saiyan Prince. "Yeah, he's been having to demand all his new bots and things off your father instead."

Yamcha had found the Saiyan's foul moods a source of endless amusement- as long as they weren't aimed at him and his chuckling was never found out of course.

Bulma nodded slightly, "Poor Dad." She felt a swell of guilt for her father, but also knew that Vegeta respected him and wouldn't make too much of a nuisance of himself on purpose. She grabbed another sandwich, a sudden spark of inspiration coming to her- she could ask her father's advice on her project, he'd know the variables better than anyone! She stood up and smiled down at Yamcha, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek without thinking about the consequences- all she knew was he had calmed down and she was relieved- before waving him goodbye and strolling out the room.

Yamcha grinned after her. _Score!_ He thought, before returning to the sports pages.

* * *

"Bulma, we need to talk." Yamcha leant against the doorway to Bulma's lab and watched as she spun around, surprised.

"Oh hey hon, what's up?" she smiled cheerfully, still relieved about his changed behaviour and her success with her father the day before.

Yamcha watched her curiously as she turned back to her files and tools; he'd always found it odd that someone so vain and often girly as Bulma could also be a genius inventor and engineer. She turned back to face him when he stayed silent and looked at him expectantly.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Erm," he stood upright and scratched his head nervously, "I was just thinking. Well, we haven't seen much of each other recently, y'know, we've been busy and all…but, well, I thought, it'd be fun to go out sometime." He was babbling slightly he knew, but she was looking at him so coolly that he felt like a teenager all over again.

Bulma smiled. "Like a date?" _Heck, Daddy said I needed a break, and Kami knows Yamcha and I get along…besides, I need a distraction._ Her thoughts drifted briefly to Vegeta, whom she was still avoiding, before Yamcha spoke again.

Yamcha nodded, "Yeah. A date. With me." He pointed his thumb at himself and chuckled slightly as he realised how stupid he probably looked.

"Sure, that sounds great." Bulma replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Tonight?"

Yamcha grinned, and his confidence surged immediately. "Tonight. Perfect. I'll book us somewhere for eight."

Bulma smiled, "Great."

Yamcha grinned again, "It'll be ace." He nodded slightly and left and Bulma watched him go with a smile on her face. _This will be nice, I sure need a date…heck, I haven't been on one for so long! _She giggled slightly and turned back to her work.

* * *

Vegeta came out of the Gravity Chamber, wiping himself down with a towel. He spotted Yamcha training at the pool and he rolled his eyes as the dark-haired man hummed cheerfully.

"Will you shut up? You've got nothing to be happy about- your training will never be enough to elevate your pathetic power level." He growled as Yamcha's humming seemed to reverberate around his already aching head.

Yamcha looked up, frowning, but then- much to Vegeta's surprise and irritation- he grinned.

"Whatever Vegeta, nothing you say can piss me off today."

Vegeta scoffed, "So you've finally realised you've got no chance have you?"

Yamcha shook his head, "Nah, I've just got a date tonight." He paused dramatically, and somehow knew his next words would really piss Vegeta off, "With Bulma."

He was grinning so smugly that Vegeta wanted nothing more than to blast him on the spot. His stomach twisted uncontrollably and he barely contained a fierce growl. _She's going on date? With him? _

"Why would I care? The woman is nothing to me anyway. She's an idiot." He gritted his teeth and actually had to force the words off his tongue, as if he didn't mean them. _Of course you mean them; she __is__ just a bloody idiot. I don't care who she goes out with._

Yamcha scowled, "Shut up Vegeta, we both know how much you need Bulma."

Vegeta's energy level soared dangerously and his hands clenched into fists, and he strode over to Yamcha- who, though scared, stood his ground and glared back- but Vegeta's gaze was so fierce that Yamcha felt Puar trembling beside him.

"I don't need that bitch. I don't need anyone. Understand?" his voice was dangerously low and Yamcha gulped but kept his mouth shut and watched Vegeta storm off with a sigh of relief.

* * *

_Need? I don't need that damn woman! I'm the Saiyan Prince! She's just another earth whore! I don't need anyone at all! __They__ need __me__- I'm the only one who can save their pathetic lives from those Androids! _He stomped into the house and went in search of Bulma. He knew she had been avoiding him, and he had found it amusing and annoying- it was obvious she wanted him, but she was denying it to herself. And as much as he tried, he couldn't deny that he wanted her too. He had been determined to let her come to him- he had known she would at some point- but now he was searching for her. He checked her lab, the lounge, the pool, and with each empty location he became more agitated. _Going out with that buffoon! What is she thinking? Does she just fuck around all the time? Was she mocking me?_ He growled fiercely_. I should have just chosen my first option and blasted her, damn woman, I've let her get to me- what was I thinking?!_

He growled again as he reached her bedroom and barged his way in, not really hearing Bulma's shrieks until he realised she was undressing. Time seemed to stop completely. Bulma shut up immediately, her flurry to cover herself with her towel stopped as Vegeta stood in her doorway, his whole body tense and coiled as if ready to attack, his dark eyes so hot on her face, and she let out a loud, nervous breath as his eyes dropped to her barely-covered figure. The white towel, luckily, was mostly covering her, but a good expanse of her legs and the tops of her chest was still on display. She blushed deeply and pulled the towel tighter around her, staring at Vegeta with wide eyes as his gaze snapped back up to her face and she finally got her towel around her completely.

They stared at each other silently, and Bulma knew instantly that something had angered him immensely. She swallowed and tucked a hair behind her ear. The notion seemed to awaken his stupor- like he was a slumbering dragon – and he let out an animalistic growl that sent Bulma's mind reeling back to when he had kissed her.

"Do you want to die Woman?" he asked, his voice dangerously low and deceptively guileless.

Bulma looked up at him, wide-eyed, and a coil of apprehension gripped her. "What?"

He moved toward her slowly, like a predator circling its prey, "I hear you've got a date tonight."

Bulma frowned, startled, "What?" _How did he know about that? And what the hell is he talking about?_

He moved closer still, his gaze so hot she felt like her face was going to melt. "Answer me woman."

Bulma was completely flummoxed. What did her date have to do with anything? "Erm, yes, I'm going out with Yamcha later."

His eyes narrowed dangerously and he actually began to circle her, "Not if you want to live."

Bulma's eyes narrowed too, "Is that a threat?"

He sneered back at her.

Bulma's temper flared, "Look Vegetable Head, I don't know what's got you in such a foul mood, but frankly, you have no right to come in here and take it out on me. So either spit it out and say what's wrong, or bugger off."

"You're not going out with that buffoon." He growled, crossing his arms over his chest and suddenly looking more like a petulant toddler than a dangerous warrior. Bulma couldn't help but let out a disbelieving laugh. She raised an eyebrow archly.

"And why not?"

"Because you're fixing my Chamber tonight….don't forget I'm your only survival hope. I need that Chamber accessible night and day to defeat those androids."

"It can wait until tomorrow. Jeez, is that why you were so peeved off? Honestly, Vegeta, you could do with a break." Bulma rolled her eyes and pulled her towel tighter about her self-consciously, trying to ignore how her body was responding to his proximity, and how she had felt a lurch of disappointment when he had not explained jealously as reason, but training.

Vegeta sensed a shift in her energy and took a step closer to her and smirked. Her desire was obvious. _Yet again._ He smirked and slid an arm around her waist quickly, bringing her close to him and pinning her hands between their two chests, so she was stuck holding her towel up desperately.

"Get off me." She squeaked, but her voice lacked conviction and all Bulma could think about was how amazing it had felt kissing him before.

He raised an eyebrow smugly, and Bulma wriggled furiously in his grip, angry at herself for her easy submission and determined to get the upper hand.

"Alright, fine. Keep hold of me. But it just proves that I was right about you all along." She said with a huff, hoping it would be enough to bait him.

He kept his grip tight, but he did frown down at her, "And what's that?" he asked derisively.

"That you're lonely." Bulma whispered. She gazed at him curiously as his face flickered with several emotions and she slid a hand away from her towel to touch his chin lightly. He didn't shake her off. "But you don't need to be…" she brought her face close to his and her breath tickled his lips, "You've got me." She whispered gently into his ear, before trailing her hand down to his neck and _hugging_ him.

Vegeta froze. _Lonely? What?! What the fuck!? I'm not lonely. I'm fine, I don't need anyone_…she sighed against his shoulder…_What does she mean I've got her? Isn't she dating that weakling? But she desires me…she's here, all over me…_

Bulma let go of him and clutched her towel to her again and he let her go easily, still too stunned to move or speak and she smiled up at him, but just as she opened her mouth to speak Vegeta's body acknowledged her absence and his senses flooded back…

"Shut up woman, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Go back to your pathetic weakling, you could never understand me…You could never be enough for me!" he hissed, his fists clenching angrily, before he stormed off, and Bulma watched him go, her eyes welling with tears of hurt and disappointment.

_You fool! You fucking idiot! You let her __hug__ you? What were you thinking?! You let her get too close to you! Attachments only cause weakness! How could you let yourself get so idiotic about her? She's just a bloody nuisance of a woman!_ He growled to himself angrily as his heart and stomach fluttered and his body seemed determined to convince him otherwise. _Get a grip on yourself. You are the Prince of all Saiyans. From now on you will not interact with her unless it suits your training needs. She is nothing to you. __Nothing._

* * *

Bulma sat on her bed with silent tears falling down her cheeks. _Why does this keep happening again? Every time I get close to him he just throws me away again…why do I let him? Why do I keep going back and trying again and again? I should be with Yamcha, I should be getting ready for my date…I shouldn't be sat crying over him! _A sob suddenly burst from her chest loudly and she dropped her head in her hands. _For Kami's sake, I can't give up though! I can't! Something about him has got me hooked and I can't give up…I won't. I'm going to show him there's more to life than pride and hate and fighting. No matter what Vegeta, I'm not giving up on you._

* * *

**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and put this on their story alerts- it keeps me going and really is appreciated! Thanks for sparing the time to do it and i hope you continue to do so :D thanks!**


	6. Progress

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Six: Progress **

'_Somehow, everything's going to fall right into place,_

_If only we had a way to make it fall faster every day…'_

Paramore: _Hallelujah_

* * *

Yet again, Bulma found herself spending her time trying to hunt Vegeta down. Another week had passed since she had resolved not to give up on him and she had yet to make any more contact with him. He'd locked himself away in the Gravity Chamber and hadn't resurfaced at all. _If I wasn't so pissed off with him, I'd be damn worried! _She thought to herself on the second Wednesday after his disappearance, as she showered after her morning exercise routine. She got ready quickly and made her way towards the Gravity Chamber- knocking on the door and bellowing 'Breakfast!' as loud as she could. She knew he was ignoring her deliberately, and despite her determination she was beginning to find it disheartening. _I don't understand him at all- last week he was all over me and now – just because I said he was lonely- he's avoiding me like I'm diseased! Is he really so proud that he can't even stand to need someone? _She sighed as no response came from the chamber, and as usual, took the breakfast tray to Yamcha's room instead. She knocked and smiled when a cheery 'Yup!' answered straightaway.

"Morning," Bulma trilled, as she pushed the door open with her hip and placed the breakfast tray on the drawers. Yamcha, topless, grinned at her from his position on his bed and she couldn't help but admire the view as he sat up and stretched, before leaping up and grabbing the breakfast tray and wrapping an arm around her waist to plonk them both on the bed.

"Mmm, smells great. As usual." Yamcha planted a kiss on Bulma's cheek and dug into the grilled breakfast, with a side plate of fruit and pancakes. Bulma smiled absently and ignored the guilt bubbling in her stomach. She made the breakfast everyday- _for Vegeta_. But everyday he had ignored her, and in spite and for comfort she took it up to Yamcha and let him believe she had done it for him. She knew that if Vegeta ever took up her offer that she would drop this sweet morning routine in a second, and she was still uneasy about how _much_ she wanted to win Vegeta over. She shook herself and stole a sip from Yamcha's orange juice, smiling affectionately at him as he sent her a mock-scowl.

She attempted to sit up, but Yamcha tightened his arm around her waist and she rolled her eyes. "Yamcha, I have work to do!"

"It can wait a few minutes babe!" Yamcha chuckled, pulling her more tightly against him.

"Oh, alright." She sighed, before relaxing against him. Things had become very comfy, very quickly, with Yamcha since their date. They had yet to actually properly kiss or make any sort of declarations or conversations about their status, but over time they were becoming more and more like the couple they used to be. As Yamcha tilted her head up to his and her chest came into her contact with his, Bulma wondered if things would be like they were before or if this time they could make it work.

* * *

Vegeta roared ferociously as another blast illuminated the Chamber and momentarily blinded him, he sensed the ki ball coming at him and ducked, just in time, to feel the ball singe the top of his hair. He growled furiously and sunk to the ground, punching the video-call numbers to Dr. Briefs.

"Ah, Vegeta, everything ok?" Dr Briefs smiled down at him straightaway from the video-link, and Vegeta watched as he puffed away at the slim cigarette between his lips.

"No, everything is not ok. The bots are too slow, and I need the temperature adjusting again." He snapped, sending the gently hovering aforementioned bots a dark glare.

Dr Briefs sighed, "Well, I'll see it to this afternoon Vegeta. But I really do think you should take a break until then," he peered over his glasses and studied Vegeta for a moment, "you're looking a little worse for wear."

Vegeta scowled, "I will not take a break! Saiyans do not need breaks, I am training and I need those adjustments made sooner rather than later."

Dr Briefs sighed again, "Alright Vegeta. I'll see what I can do. Give me an hour or so in the Chamber."

"Good." Vegeta said shortly, turning the link off and grabbing his sweaty towel from the floor. He was grateful to Dr. Briefs, though he would never say so, and relieved, because the old scientist had allowed Vegeta the privacy he had so wanted for the past week or so. Vegeta had resolved to avoid Bulma at all costs- she was a distraction he could not afford to have. _Not if I want to overcome Kakarot's Super-Saiyan status._ He peered out of the window, and unable to see her, or sense her energy, he exited the Gravity Chamber for the first time in a while. He stank, and he was starving, so he made his way to his bedroom and immediately stripped off and went into his shower.

* * *

Dr Briefs exited his lab and lit up another cigarette, puffing at it absently and leaning against the elevator wall as he closed his eyes, not even noticing Bulma enter the elevator until he felt his packet of cigarettes slide out of his pocket. He opened his eyes to see Bulma lighting up beside him and he smiled at her.

"Hello dear."

Bulma grinned, and plopped the packet back into his pocket, "Hello Daddy. What are you out of the lab for?"

"Vegeta." He noticed immediately how Bulma's attention peaked at the mention of the Saiyan Prince, and she turned to him with wide, alert eyes.

"Oh? What does he want?" her voice was casual, but he detected the curiosity she was trying to cover up, and he wondered, not for the first time, what was going on between Bulma and Vegeta. Ever since Vegeta had requested a private video link and a selection of food capsules the week before- with the distinct orders to not involve Bulma- Dr Briefs had known something had happened between them.

"Just a few touch ups to the Chamber again."

Bulma frowned slightly, "Does that mean he's actually come out of it?"

Dr Briefs nodded, "I think so. Just for a while though," he motioned for Bulma to exit the elevator before him and turned to her briefly, "he certainly is dedicated."

Bulma's frown deepened, and Dr Briefs could practically hear her mind whizzing, and she nodded absently, before turning away. Dr Briefs heard her murmur, "I wonder where he is," under her breath before she rounded the corner and out of his sight.

He stared after her and scratched his head thoughtfully, "What on earth is going on with that girl?" he frowned slightly and hesitated a moment before heading towards the Gravity Chamber.

* * *

"Woohoo! Go Yamcha!" Puar cheered as Yamcha trained in the garden, practicing his martial arts and boxing techniques. He paused briefly to shoot Puar a grin before lunging into a high-kick and following it up with a swift turn into another kick. He carried on training for the rest of the day, and Puar cheered loyally and loudly all the time. When the sun began to set, he stopped and collapsed on the floor, puffing hard.

"Phew, what a day." He murmured, closing his eyes and rolling his head.

Puar floated down beside him, "You've worked so hard today Yamcha! What's got you so worked up?"

Yamcha's neck cracked loudly and he sat up with a grimace, "Man, even my bones ache now." He turned to Puar and grinned, "Don't you mean 'who' by the way?"

Puar laughed, "Oh, Bulma of course!"

Yamcha chuckled, "Of course. Who else would it be? Man," he sighed and led back again, and Puar watched him curiously, "I just don't know what's going on with us anymore. I mean, we had that date, and she makes me breakfast every morning- you know, she's really looking after me! And heck, she's looking good, as usual."

Puar nodded along, and when Yamcha didn't continue, asked, "So what's the problem?"

Yamcha grimaced again, "I don't know. We're not together. But I think we should be…I mean, we've known each other all this time, and she's awesome, Puar. Bulma and I belong together." He sat up and looked at Puar determinedly, and Puar nodded back at him. "I should be telling her this!"

Puar nodded frantically again, "You should!"

Yamcha stood up and grinned, "I'm going to! I'll ask her on another date and I'll tell her then." He nodded to himself and headed into the house, waving Puar goodbye as he reached his room and climbed into the shower. _Yep, that's exactly what I'll do. We'll go out, we'll have fun, I'll tell her how I feel…and things will be back to normal in no time. Bulma and me will be back together by the end of the night…or tomorrow morning at least_, he thought with satisfaction, as he shampooed his hair, remembering dates that had simply led straight to the bedroom and hoping that's how it would go with Bulma.

* * *

Bulma knocked on Vegeta's bedroom door and rolled her eyes when he growled back, "Who is it?"

"It's me."

"What do you want?" came his gruff reply.

Bulma sighed, "I just came to check you were still alive." The door swung open suddenly and Vegeta glowered down at her. "I haven't seen you in a week." She added petulantly.

He rolled his eyes, "I've been training."

"I know, but you haven't come out of the Gravity Chamber at all! You have been eating and resting right?" Bulma crossed her arms over her chest and studied him carefully. He didn't look particularly tired or injured, but before he could answer his stomach growled loudly. Bulma giggled, "I'll take that as a no!" She reached over and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his doorway and into the hallway. When he didn't move any further she let go and put her hands on her hips on exasperation, "Well come on! Let's get some dinner!"

Vegeta stared after her as she turned and strode away, frowning slightly. _Is that all? _He had expected her to demand to know why he hadn't come out, or to yell at him about some nonsense or other. Bulma's head appeared around the corner and she looked at him expectantly, "Come on slow coach!" His frown deepened as she grinned and her head disappeared again, but he followed her demands anyway. _Women really __are__ a mystery_. _Especially this one._

* * *

Vegeta watched Bulma potter around the kitchen curiously, drowning out the inane songs bursting from the sound system and rolling his eyes in annoyance as Bulma sung along and wiggled her hips in time to the beat. He watched her with a growing interest as she grilled meat, stirred sauces and chopped up vegetables. _She doesn't seem like the cooking type, she's nothing like Kakarot's harpy of a wife. That idiot spends her time cooking and cleaning- like nothing more than a slave. But this one, she's different; she's either shopping like a princess or working like a man_. He scowled again, _Didn't you decide to stop noticing her and thinking about her? So what if she's nothing like Kakarot's wife or other women? She's still just a nuisance._ But he couldn't tear his eyes from her as she begun to load up various plates and he couldn't help but admire her fine figure and sniff with interest as the wafting scents from the foods made his mouth water.

Bulma felt his eyes on her and wondered whether he had ever cooked himself, or if he had ever dined with people properly before coming to earth. She begun to feel a familiar swell of sympathy in her stomach. _Honestly, he must be lonely. Has he ever had friends? Was that guy he came to Earth with his friend? Or was he just another warrior to him? Has he ever really cared about __anyone__ or anything other than his pride and fighting?_ She put the plates out on the table and shot him a warm smile as he watched her still, rolling her eyes when he merely raised an eyebrow archly.

"Right," she said, clapping her hands together, "I've done grilled steaks and vegetables, with noodles and rice, and chicken wings, and some salads, and those are all the sauces…" she pointed over to the bowls of colourful liquid, "that one is barbeque, that one is spicy chilli, the yellow one is like a curry sauce and…"

Vegeta put up a hand to stop her and said dryly, "I think I can figure it out as I eat it."

Bulma's lips quirked, but she simply nodded and sat down opposite him, handing him a plate and saying, "Well, dig in then." She loaded her plate with salad and steak, watching with amusement as he filled his plate with the meat first. He looked up at her briefly and sighed.

"What?"

Bulma grinned, "Nothing." She looked down and tried to suppress a giggle but it erupted from her chest loudly. Vegeta crossed him arms over his chest impatiently.

"What?"

Bulma looked up and caught the petulant impatience writ across his face and giggled harder. She wasn't entirely sure why she was laughing…it was a mixture of nerves, and relief and …a sort of pleasure at spending some semi-civilised time with him. She felt a little light-headed, and sort of triumphant. _Things seem to be progressing already if he's agreed to have dinner with me! _She hiccupped and then sucked in a long breath, before glancing back up at him and grinning widely. "Sorry."

He frowned, "What the hell were you laughing about?" _Bloody strange woman._

"You just, well, you're so different from Goku, but when it comes to food…" she glanced down at his mountain of meat and grinned again, "you Saiyans are all the same…I bet you'll clean this lot off easily."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, "That's what you were laughing at?" He looked half-bemused and half-scornful.

Bulma nodded cheerily, "Yep." She pierced a bit of lettuce with her fork, before looking back up at him as he dug into his meal. "Vegeta," she said hesitantly.

He looked up at her and rolled his eyes, "What now?"

She twisted her mouth nervously, "I was just wondering…was that man you came to Earth with…Nappa or something…was he …your friend?"

Vegeta's eyebrows shot up, "What? Why?" _What the hell is she talking about now?_

"I just wondered if you ever miss him, or if you've ever really just had friends before, not just fellow warriors, but actual friends? You know, to eat dinner with, and chat…" she trailed off as Vegeta put down his fork and stared at her intensely.

"Why are you asking all these questions?" his voice was low and gruff, but Bulma knew he wasn't angry with her.

Bulma stared back at him, her gaze locked on his dark eyes and she swallowed. "Because I'm curious about you." She smiled and shrugged casually, trying to maintain a charade of calmness as he studied her intently.

Vegeta continued to stare at her, his stomach and mind churning with a mixture of emotions and thoughts and he picked his fork up, spearing a piece of steak and chewing at it thoughtfully. He turned back to her and swallowed. "Nappa was a comrade." He paused, "I killed him when he failed to defeat Kakarot in battle. He was not my friend."

Bulma looked away hastily and bit her lip, "So you've never had friends?"

Vegeta scowled, "I don't need friends." He turned back to his dinner and ate in silence, not noticing Bulma smile slyly.

_Oh you don't fool me with your tough guy act Vegetable-Head. You do need friends, and you're getting one in me. _She grinned widely when Vegeta looked up at her again and begun to eat her own dinner, schooling her face into a deceptively innocent look as Vegeta continued to watch her suspiciously.

* * *

The rest of the meal flew by in silence, Vegeta did indeed clear the table of all the food, and Bulma- though full after her one dish of steak and salad- sat with him until he had finished.

"Well," Bulma grinned, when the last plate was clear, "I suppose you enjoyed that."

Vegeta shot her a smirk, "It was adequate."

Bulma rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, "We both know I'm more than adequate in every way!" She blushed as Vegeta's eyebrows shot up and his smirk widened. "Well, don't just sit there! Help me tidy up!" she said bossily to cover up her embarrassment.

Much to her surprise, Vegeta stayed silent, still smirking, and begun to pile the empty plates up. She took them off him with suspicious glances, before leaving them on the side and turning to him.

"Bloody hell woman, what do you want now?" Vegeta huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as Bulma continued to stare at him silently.

She glared at him, "You could be a little nicer! I've just cooked a huge dinner for you! Heck, I do so much for you all the time and you can't even…"

"What do you want?" Vegeta interrupted her with narrowed eyes.

Bulma rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips impatiently, "Just a conversation would be nice!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Fine."

"What?" Bulma spluttered, stunned. _Fine? Is that it? Does that mean he'll talk?_

"I said fine." Vegeta stretched languidly in the chair and shut his eyes. He wasn't sure why exactly he'd agreed to talk to her, or even ate dinner with her, but he was beginning to feel more comfortable in her presence…she was a little short-tempered and arrogant, and sometimes annoyingly curious, but she did seem to be doing a lot for him- he had noticed her attempts at making him breakfast every day, and he _knew_ it was her who had been adding to his wardrobe and belongings all week. _If all she wants in return is to talk, well… _He didn't want to finish that surprisingly affable train of thought so he opened one eye, "Are you going to talk or not woman?"

Bulma gaped, "Erm, err," _For Kami's sake Bulma, get a grip! Here's your chance! _"Yeah." She sat back down again and twisted her hands in her lap nervously.

"I haven't got all night."

Bulma glance back up as Vegeta closed his eyes again and she nodded, more to herself than to him. "Right, well…let's talk about…my new invention!" She grinned widely as Vegeta opened his eyes and stared at her, and she took this as a sign of interest and begun to explain her latest Gravity Chamber design.

* * *

**thanks again to all reviewers- i hope you are stil enjoying it, keep me posted with your thoughts on the chapters- any favourite quotes or moments you want to share? or ideas for the future?...let me know! A special thanks to loyal reviewers like Kitty and Nintendocat... :D**

**please review and remember to check back for new chapters often, i'm trying to get them out within at most a week of one another! :D cheers x**


	7. Past, Present, Future?

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Seven: Past, Present, Future?**

'_So let go all of these mixed emotions,  
Forget all your hesitations…__  
__  
Then he whispered in your ear,  
He's absolutely falling,  
The words he said are clear,  
So don't insist on stalling.'_

Colbie Caillat: _Tailor Made_

* * *

Yamcha woke up with a grunt and realised blearily that he had fallen asleep after his shower. He sat up and groaned. "Oh man, I totally knackered myself out." He stretched and checked his clock, and seeing it was 9.30pm he decided to go and look for Bulma. _I won't ask her out for tonight, but I will see if she is up for it tomorrow or something! _He headed for her bedroom first, and when he got no reply he headed for the lounge, figuring she must be in there with her parents. He was almost there when he heard a loud peel of laughter from the kitchen, and he grinned when he recognised it as Bulma's. _Well, at least she's in a good mood!_

He headed into the kitchen and his jaw dropped. He tripped slightly in surprise and blinked before his eyes bulged and he realised what he was seeing _was_ indeed real: Bulma was sat on the kitchen table, legs crossed, and laughing hard. Sitting opposite, stretched out in one of the chairs was Vegeta. And he was actually _smiling_. Yamcha spluttered slightly. _What the hell is going on? Vegeta's __smiling__? And hanging out with Bulma?! Man, I must be going mad…this can't be real!_

He stood frozen in mid-step, his mind reeling, and Vegeta suddenly caught sight of him and the smile vanished off his face. He looked so murderous that Yamcha actually gulped and back pedalled a few steps.

Bulma noticed the expression on Vegeta's face change and she glanced around to see what had caused it and noticed Yamcha, looking kind of confused and stricken. "Yamcha, hey." She smiled as warmly as she could manage, but felt a little annoyed at being interrupted. She had been getting along with Vegeta pretty damn well, heck, they'd been talking for the last hour or so…she glanced over at the Saiyan Prince and noticed with disappointment he was slowly getting out of his seat.

"Where are you going?" she asked, eyes wide and pleading.

He glanced at her impassively, "To bed. Some of us actually train all day, every day." he shot a pointed glare at Yamcha and left the room swiftly but paused for a second when Bulma called, "Good night!"

Yamcha seemed to finally gather his senses back and he rounded on Bulma with bulging eyes. "What the heck was that?!"

Bulma tossed her hair, "We were just hanging out Yamcha." She smiled coyly all of a sudden, "Not jealous are you?"

He flushed to the roots of his hair and Bulma grinned. _Heck, he's cute when blushes!_

Yamcha gurgled slightly, "Wha..!? No! I mean, yeah, no…I mean, ugh!" He huffed slightly and Bulma started to giggle.

"It's ok, you've got nothing to worry about Yamcha." She slid off the table and slipped past him, snaking a hand to his shoulder and tiptoeing up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "Night." She winked and slipped out of the room, leaving Yamcha to gape after her.

* * *

Bulma smiled to herself, and hummed all the way back to her room. She got ready for bed, still humming cheerfully, before running the night's events through her mind. She giggled to herself as she remembered the look on Vegeta's face when she had started to explain her ideas for the new bots for the Gravity Chamber. He had actually looked impressed…and when she told him about how she had first met Goku, he'd actually chuckled and smiled! She snuggled her into her white sheets and closed her eyes with a sigh. _It's a shame Yamcha had to interrupt us…we could have talked for hours! _She felt a sudden lurch in her gut. _Yamcha!_ Her eyes flew open. _What must he be thinking? Oh, he probably __is__ jealous! Imagine if he knew about that kiss! _Her heart seemed to thump against her ribcage as she remembered it herself and she shook herself breathlessly. _Bulma, stop it! You are not interested in Vegeta. Yes, he's attractive, and he kisses well…very well in fact…but that's not the point! The point is that what that kiss was…it was just lust and that's all. And that's something you __definitely__ don't need. You and Yamcha are made for each other- you've just got to make it work this time. You're only trying to be Vegeta's friend…Yamcha is the one for you. _She shook herself determinedly again and decided that tomorrow she would get the balls rolling with him.

* * *

Bulma went to the kitchen the next morning, determined to make breakfast as usual- but this time to do one especially for Yamcha as well. But to her surprise Vegeta was already in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards and grumbling under his breath.

"Hungry are you?" Bulma grinned, making Vegeta turn and glare at her grumpily.

"Will you just make some breakfast already woman? That cereal stuff is crap!"

Bulma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm not making you anything unless you ask me nicely…and call me Bulma!"

Vegeta scowled, "I'm not going to beg you!"

"I didn't ask you to beg! I asked you to ask nicely. You know, use a little manners. You're a Prince aren't you? Where's your etiquette?" Bulma asked teasingly, brushing past him and ignoring the tingles along her arm as it touched his.

Vegeta gaped at her and shook his head slightly, _this woman…she's so…ugh, I don't even know!_ "Fine." He grumbled, plonking himself in a seat roughly and trying to ignore how comfortable and relaxed he felt as she turned to grin at him. "Would you make some breakfast," he paused and gritted his teeth and Bulma waved her hand encouragingly, "Bulma."

Bulma beamed, "That wasn't so hard was it? Now, what do you want? I'll do a big grilled breakfast and some pancakes…I wanted to make Yamcha some anyway." She felt like she needed to say it aloud; that she still cared for Yamcha, and especially in front of Vegeta. But still, she felt a little like she was trying to convince herself, she couldn't help but inwardly admit that she didn't exactly get butterflies around Yamcha anymore, and as much as she tried, she couldn't deny that she felt like a tornado was in her stomach when Vegeta was around. _Oh, Bulma, come on…this is Vegeta for goodness sake! It's nothing! Remember what you resolved to do last night! You can't give up years with Yamcha- no matter how on and off they were- for a little crush! _She blushed brightly when she realised she had admitted she had a crush on Vegeta…even if it was only in her head. She swallowed hastily and started to cook the breakfast, keeping her back to Vegeta at all times so he wouldn't see her still flaming face.

Vegeta watched her again, getting a sense of deja-vu to the night before. _Why are you wasting your time eating meals with her and talking to her? You should be training! You can't sit around her with her all day…no matter how gorgeous she is._ He smirked as he thought back to the kiss, and how fervently she had responded to him. Then he shook himself with disgust. _Ugh, get a grip on yourself you fool. It was nothing but lust…simple desire. There was nothing else to it at all._

* * *

Yamcha heard the knock at his door and smirked, pulling his t-shirt off and running a hand through his hair to mess it up. "Come in."

Bulma came in smiling brightly, but she paused and blushed when she saw him lounging topless on the bed, staring at her seductively. "Erm," she smiled shyly, "morning."

Yamcha grinned and patted the space on the bed beside him, "Morning gorgeous. Care to join me?"

Bulma bit her lip, a little surprised at his forward behaviour. "Sure," she said hesitantly, making her way over to the bed and balancing the tray precariously on the edge of it. Yamcha took the tray and put it on his bedside table, before reaching over and grabbing her wrist, pulling her towards him.

He grinned when she nestled on the bed next to him, and he turned on his side, so her arm was pinned against his toned torso and his face was mere inches from hers. Bulma stared at him in surprise.

"Breakfast looks great…but you look more tempting."

Bulma rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle, "Yamcha..." she trailed off as he snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Seriously Bulma," he said, bringing his other hand up to cup her cheek, "you're amazing…" he leaned in closer, "go out with me tomorrow. Please?"

Bulma swallowed, and her stomach fluttered slightly as he pressed his lips to hers gently. She didn't know whether it was nerves or excitement though. Nevertheless, she kissed him back softly, but pulled away quickly and nodded. "Sure. Sure. Tomorrow is good." She slipped out of his grasp and stood up as he grinned widely up at her. "8 o'clock?"

Yamcha nodded, "I'll book somewhere."

Bulma nodded, and left the room, before grimacing. _Eugh, why do I let him book? He has the worse taste in restaurants. _She sucked in a breath and nodded to herself. _But it's a date at least…another date_, she thought with a smile, not able to figure out why she felt a little pit of regret in her stomach. _Ah whatever, I'll have fun, I'm sure of it. _

* * *

"Bulma, dear!" Mrs Briefs' voice rung out loudly from the buzzer in Bulma's lab and startled her.

"Erm, yeah?" Bulma pressed the buzzer and let her mother in, pulling off her thick, fire-proof gloves and looking up at her mother with a smile.

"It's the phone for you. I think it's Chi-Chi." Mrs Briefs handed Bulma the phone with a smile and left the room with a cheery wave.

Bulma pressed the phone to her ear, "Hello."

"Bulma! Hi!" Chi-Chi responded brightly and Bulma smiled.

"Hey yourself. How are you?"

"Oh, good thanks. What about you?"

"It's good…a little busy but you know- the usual. What's up?" Bulma sat down and pressed the phone to her ear with her shoulder, using her hands to re-do her messy bun.

"Well, I was just wondering if you fancy going out sometime? Like, tonight?"

Bulma sat up, bolt-right. "Seriously? Chi-Chi, we haven't been out in ages!"

"I know, I know. I'm just," she paused and let out an exasperated cry, "Bulma! Goku is driving me mad! He's constantly training with Piccolo and Gohan- who should be studying if he wants to make anything of himself when he's older! And… NO! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW YOU LOT!" Chi-Chi suddenly bellowed and Bulma held the phone away from her ear with a wince.

"Right, I have to get out of here Bulma." She sounded desperate and so wound-up that Bulma felt a swell of sympathy for her. She and Chi-Chi didn't always get on well; Bulma often suspected jealously on Chi-Chi's side. But she liked her a lot, and when they got on- they got on great.

"Sure. Tonight sounds great Chi-Chi. Why don't I send a car over for you for around 5 and we'll get ready together here, go out for dinner and see where the night takes us?"

"Oh Bulma, that's great. See you later!" Chi-Chi sighed happily down the phone, and Bulma grinned and said her goodbyes, hanging up and feeling a lot better herself.

_A girly night certainly will do you good Bulma Briefs._ She grinned and got back to engineering her new bots with more fervour than before.

* * *

"No way Chi-Chi!" Bulma burst out laughing as Chi-Chi nodded emphatically.

"I'm sure of it Bulma…it would explain so much!" Chi-Chi hiccupped, and took another gulp of champagne.

Bulma grinned, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter again. "Piccolo is not gay!"

"He is!" Chi-Chi hissed, downing her glass and waving at the barman, "Champagne!"

Bulma nodded, "Yes! Yes! More champagne please!"

As the barman hurried over with another bottle of champagne on ice, Chi-Chi turned to Bulma slyly and said, "So, how's your love life?"

Bulma gulped her drink hastily, "Fine!" she squeaked, hoping Chi-Chi wouldn't notice the blush on her cheeks.

"Aha!" Chi-chi squawked loudly, "Something's happened!"

"No! NO! It hasn't!"

"It has! With Yamcha? Oh my, Bulma, what's going on with you two?!"

Bulma gulped at her drink and shook her head, "I don't know Chi-Chi. We went on a date and we're hanging out…" she paused briefly and Chi-Chi nodded eagerly, "and today he kissed me and asked me out again."

Chi-Chi giggled and clinked her glass with Bulma's, "Nice one!"

Bulma grinned but remained silent and Chi-Chi stared at her curiously.

"What's the problem? Not secretly in love with Vegeta, are you?" she teased.

Bulma almost spluttered her drink all over the table, "What?!" she cried squeakily, she could practically feel her face burning with embarrassment. _In love with Vegeta? What is she talking about?! _"No! Of course not." She shook herself. "NO, I just…I'm not sure I'm in love with Yamcha anymore. I mean, after so long and all those times we broke up and he cheated…" Bulma necked her drink and slammed it down morosely.

Chi-Chi frowned, "He was such a jerk."

"Exactly! I mean, what, do I just forget all that and hope it doesn't happen again?! I mean, how can I be so sure he loves me at all?!"

Chi-Chi's frown deepened and she sipped at her drink thoughtfully, "But do you really want to give up all those years? Goku told me Yamcha had said something about settling down…and you _know_ he does love you." She paused and took another gulp, "I don't think you should hesitate any longer Bulma…not when he so obviously wants to be with you again."

Bulma nodded thoughtfully and Chi-Chi grinned and raised her glass.

"A toast- to idiot guys and the great girls who love them!" she clinked her glass with Bulma's and downed her drink.

Bulma watched with a small smile_, Is Chi-Chi right? Should I just go for it with Yamcha? Ugh! Why can't I make up my mind? I would have died to have this chance again before…what's wrong with me? Why am I so off of Yamcha all of a sudden?_ She didn't really want to put too much thought to that though. _Oh, Chi-Chi is right. He __does__ love me…he __does__ want to be with me. And if I keep putting it off I'll just lose him forever. _She sighed and downed her drink too, forcing a big smile on her face as Chi-Chi filled up their glasses again.

* * *

"No, no, no, you're the best, Chi-Chi. You put up with so much…hiccup!...so much crap from those boys. And you know, Goku's…hiccup!...he's always running off and training and …hiccup! Men are so useless!" Bulma slurred as they stumbled back into the house, Bulma's heels clattering loudly.

Chi-Chi clung to the doorframe and groaned, "I know! Goku, ugh, he had no idea how hard it is when he just…uughhh….ups and leaves! I want Gohan to be smart! Not some…dumb…fighting...monkey-boy!" She stood up and wobbled precariously, before slouching to the floor with a loud burp. "Oh, crap, sorry Bulma."

Bulma giggled and waved her arms wildly, "Ha! Don't worry Chi-Chi!" She leaned back against the wall and lifted her foot, wobbling as she tried to take her shoe off. "You're right. They are useless. All of them! Yamcha and Goku and Vegeta! And," she slid down the wall and looked at Chi-Chi seriously. "And they are hot."

Chi-Chi blinked, her drunken mind trying to adapt to the change in conversation. "Oh yep, hot."

"Sooo hot." Bulma said, too drunk to be startled by images of Vegeta in her mind and she suddenly burst out laughing. Chi-Chi laughed too, before burping loudly again.

"Ugh," she tried to stand up but couldn't. "Yep, they're very hot." She tried again and managed to pull herself to her feet unsteadily. "But I need to go home."

Bulma nodded emphatically, "Yep. Yep." She sprang to her feet and then groaned as her head spun. "I'll call you a cab…oh, wait. There's one outside!" she pointed with confusion at the yellow cab outside her house, haven't already completely forgotten they got home in the cab and had told the driver to wait.

Chi-Chi clapped her hands together and then kissed Bulma sloppily on the cheek. "Bye Bulma, I'll see you…hiccup!..soon. I'm going to give my husband a what-a…ugh…well, he's in trouble!" she waved and staggered to the taxi, practically collapsing in as the driver hurriedly opened the door.

"Byeeeee!" Bulma cooed, waving merrily before tripping back on her heel and falling into something with an "oomph." She looked around as arms encircled her waist and blinked wearily. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta gazed down at Bulma dispassionately, but his mind was whirring. He'd heard what she and Chi-Chi had been talking about as he came to see what all the noise was about and he was slightly curious. _Have they been talking about us all, all night? And why are they so drunk? What's the occasion?_ He looked down in surprise as Bulma loped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his chest with another hiccup. _Oh, this is just great_. "Woman, Woman. Get up."

"Bulma!" Bulma said sternly, and Vegeta let out a dark chuckle. _So she's able to tell me what to do even when drunk? _When she merely clung to him tighter, he rolled his eyes and bent down and scooped her up in his arms. _I can't believe I'm doing this. Me- A Saiyan Prince- carrying __her__ to bed. This is ridiculous, I should just leave her to sleep in the hallway. Stupid woman, it's her own bloody fault. _But he carried her to her room and laid her on her bed, frowning down at her as she immediately snuggled into her bed covers. She opened her eyes blearily as he begun to move away and giggled, "Night night Vegetable Head…"

Vegeta growled and clenched his fists. "Stop calling me that." When Bulma didn't respond- she had fallen asleep- he let out a gruff, annoyed grunt and stalked out of her room and into his own. _Bloody woman_. He thought as he climbed into his own bed and tried to will himself to sleep.

* * *

**please review and rate as usual- they always keep me going! any favourite quotes/moments/etc/etc are always appreciated, and useful too! :D cheers.**

**AN: these are just little notes for regular reviewers, who keep me writing and posting as quick as i can! :D thanks guys!**

**Nintendocat- ah i'm glad you like the slow progression, but i promise it will heat up again soon enough...and Bulma's going to sort her head out and deal with Yamcha soon too! this chapter and the next are quite slow but after that i'm adding in some more action and...well, can't tell you too much ;) cheers for reviewing again!**

**Kitty- thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you liked the conversation, but i know you liked the kiss before so i'm assuring you that things are going to be heading that way soon enough for Bulma and Vegeta! **

**MelodiMoon- thanks for another review! glad you are enjoying the conversations too...and yep, i think Bulma was more than a little shocked...but at least she knows he's warming to her now!**

**RangerInBlack- thanks for continuing to review! :D**


	8. Headaches and Heartache

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Eight: Headaches and Heartache**

'_Don't want to love you,_

_If you don't love me._

_Don't want to need you,_

_When you won't need me too._

_Don't want to tell you this now,_

_But it wouldn't be right,_

_If I didn't tell you this tonight.'_

Samantha Mumba: _Gotta Tell You_

* * *

Bulma gulped down another glass of water and groaned. "Oh, my head is killing me."

"So was mine when all I could hear was your ridiculous nattering last night."

Bulma spun around and immediately wished she hadn't when bile rose in her throat and her vision blurred sickeningly.

Vegeta sneered, "You 're suffering for your idiocy now."

Bulma pulled a face, "Oh sod off Vegeta…." She leant back against the kitchen countertop and put a hand to her forehead. When Vegeta merely leaned against the doorway and stared at her disdainfully she stood up straight again and sucked up a breath- _and my pride_, she thought with annoyance- before saying, "Look, thanks for, well," she paused and flushed, "thanks for carrying me to bed."

"I did it for my own gain woman, waking up to your pathetic drunken form in the morning would have put me off my training. Don't expect me to do it again." His tone was cold and hard.

Bulma flinched, but her temper flared, "I didn't ask for your help! I'm more than capable of looking after myself!"

Vegeta sneered, "You clung on to me like a whimpering baby….or don't you recall simpering about how hot I am?"

Bulma blinked and flushed. _Did I really say that?_ She vaguely remembered talking to Chi-Chi about Goku, Vegeta and Yamcha…_Oh bugger, we did say something like that!_ She felt absolutely mortified he had seen her in such a state…but to have heard her say that too…she wanted to drown herself in her jug of water…_How humiliating. And kami, he's being such a bastard about it_!

Vegeta chuckled cruelly, "So you _do_ remember…" he stood up straight and made to leave the kitchen, before demanding over his shoulder, "Sort yourself out woman and get to work."

Bulma looked up and gaped. _What the hell is his problem today? Honestly, I swear he has got worse mood swings than a toddler mixed with a menopausal woman! Yesterday he was actually talking nicely to me and now…jeez, I don't know what is up with this guy! _She gulped down some more water and frowned. _Heck, why am I so mortified about being drunk anyway? So what?! I had a good night out with Chi-Chi…and Vegeta can hardly tease me about saying he was hot….he was all over me a few weeks ago! _A delicious shiver went down her spine at the memory. _'Sort yourself out'. Ha. Whatever Vegetable-Head…I know you like being friends with me really_…

* * *

"Wow Yamcha, this place is great." Bulma smiled as Yamcha led her through the crowded, but stylish restaurant. It was a bit loud for her, but miles better than anywhere he'd ever taken her before. She was touched by the effort he had clearly made…he was wearing a brand new suit and had obviously tried hard to get the restaurant right…_for once, _she thought, a little bitterly.

Yamcha grinned, "I knew you'd like it." He glanced over her appreciatively again, "You look great."

Bulma smiled and brushed down the red halter-neck dress slightly. "You've said that already."

Yamcha chuckled, and pulled out her chair for her, kissing her cheek gently and whispering "That's because you really do."

Bulma smiled again, and the waiter passed her a menu as Yamcha slid into his own seat opposite her.

"What can I get you to drink?"

Yamcha grinned, "A bottle of your finest white wine."

Bulma frowned, "Yamcha…I don't like white wine." She inwardly rolled her eyes, _Kami- you'd think he'd know that by now!_

"Since when?!" Yamcha said incredulously, finally tearing his eyes from her breasts.

"Since forever!" Bulma cried back in annoyance. The waiter looked between the two in apprehension.

Yamcha frowned, "No way Bulma…" but as Bulma's eyes narrowed dangerously he put his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok, Sorry." He turned back to the waiter to order again, but the waiter turned to Bulma and smiled.

"Perhaps the lady should decide?"

Bulma beamed at him. "Thank you. I'll have a glass of Dom Perignon please."

The waiter nodded and then turned to Yamcha, who was scowling at him furiously. "I'll have a house beer." He rolled his eyes as the waiter nodded and sent Bulma another smile. _What a suck-ass. Jeez, is he __trying__ to make me look bad?! _

He turned back to Bulma with an apologetic smile, "Sorry babe. I must have got confused."

Bulma rolled her eyes and glanced around the restaurant. It was beautifully decorated, with luxurious marble pillars and plush tables and chairs. She heard a distant roar of laughter and looked into the corner where a few men had surrounded themselves with a gaggle of pretty- and most probably air-headed- women. She rolled her eyes again and then spotted Yamcha looking over at them. She scowled. _That's probably why he really brought me here._

As if he could read her mind, Yamcha looked up guiltily and smiled again. "So, how are those secret projects going?"

Bulma raised an eyebrow archly but decided to answer nonetheless. "They're going well, Dad and I have got a few stats to work on…but some of them should be finished too. Vegeta will be pleased with them I think."

Yamcha pulled a face, "Do we have to talk about Vegeta?"

"Oh grow up, will you?! I was just mentioning him- I'm not asking you to have a long discussion about him." Bulma sighed, catching sight of the waiter making his way over with their drinks with relief. She needed a drink- she needed to loosen up. She'd been in such a tense mood all day- and she blamed it entirely on the aforementioned Saiyan Prince for starting her morning badly.

Yamcha pulled another face, "Why would you _want_ to have a long discussion about him?!" he looked up as the waiter placed their drinks down. "Thanks."

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked.

Bulma and Yamcha said "No," simultaneously and he shrunk away again.

Bulma begun to flick through the menu idly, and Yamcha took a swig of his beer and said "Well?" petulantly.

"Well what?" Bulma responded coolly, quickly deciding on the salmon dish.

"Why would you want to discuss Vegeta?" Ever since Vegeta had blown up the Gravity Chamber those months ago, Yamcha had suspected that something was going on between Vegeta and Bulma. He didn't know what it was, and he had been trying to convince himself it was just Bulma's desire to rein in the 'bad boy' or something equally silly. But as time had passed- particularly recently- something had changed. Bulma seemed more and more determined to befriend Vegeta and impress him, and Yamcha wasn't obnoxious enough to not notice the difference in the Saiyan's behaviour towards Bulma in return. He knew as well that the Saiyan Prince found Bulma attractive and- his stomach churned slightly- he knew Bulma found Vegeta attractive too. He shook himself as Bulma flicked another page of her menu and said, "He's pretty interesting."

"Interesting? What the hell does that mean?!" Yamcha cried, and a few people nearby turned their heads in surprise and curiosity.

Bulma looked up at him furiously, "It means I think he's interesting. Now, quieten down and choose your order!"

Yamcha scowled, but looked down at his menu in grumpy obedience. _Man, this was supposed to be the night we get back together, not argue over that asshole __again__!_ He looked over at the group of girls and the two men they were with again, and one of them- a pretty blonde- caught his eye with a sly wink. He grinned back and then looked guiltily over at Bulma. She hadn't noticed. _Of course not, she's probably thinking about how ' interesting' Vegeta is_, he thought resentfully.

* * *

The date was not going well. Bulma knew the exact point it had started to rapidly decline from bad to awful was when one of the men from the corner table had turned out to be one of Yamcha's old baseball managers and had spotted him as he made his way back from the bathroom. From then on, they had been steamrolled into joining the party. Bulma was _furious_. She had spent the better part of the night trying to get Yamcha's old manager to stop flirting with her whilst Yamcha flirted with everyone else. She knew he was doing it partly because he was pissed off about her Vegeta comment, but she also knew he was doing it because he could never resist temptation. And the blonde sitting next to him was the epitome of that.

_If he can't even resist whilst I'm around what would he be like when I'm not?! _Bulma thought exasperatedly, _Like he was before…a playboy. _A small voice whispered in her head. She frowned. _He wouldn't cheat on me again. He __wouldn't_. She thought back to what Chi-Chi had said; he'd mentioned settling down to Goku…_and he loves me._ She looked over at him, and saw how his eyes were intent on the blonde's bust, nodding along as she chatted and giggled, batting her eyelashes and tracing a hand up his arm. He didn't do a thing to stop her as her hand continued its journey onto his shoulders. Bulma realised - as he suddenly looked up guiltily and found her eyes with apologies shining in his own- that he _did_ love her…just not enough and definitely not enough for her. She smiled slightly in return, feeling surprisingly okay about it. She knew she hadn't been convinced of her own feelings for him, and she knew that no matter what Chi-Chi said or what she tried to make herself believe, she _could_ give up years with him- not because they didn't mean anything at all, but because they didn't mean anything _anymore_. Yes, she had loved him once…but she didn't anymore and she knew she never would again. She excused herself from the table and practically had to shove the girl next to her to get out of her seat, but she managed it and she gathered up her red satin clutch and strode from the restaurant gracefully.

"Bulma! Bulma!" Yamcha called after her, catching up with her just as she reached the outside. She turned in surprise- she hadn't realised he'd followed her.

"What are you doing?" she asked tiredly.

"Bulma, look," he paused and rubbed his neck nervously. "Look. I know this has been a shit date. I'm really sorry about that…and," he gestured back inside wildly, "and about the girls and things…but the thing is…" he stepped toward, his face setting seriously. "I love you Bulma."

Bulma stared back at him…_Nothing._ No heart flutters. No flip-flopping stomach. She sighed. "Yamcha,"

"No, Bulma, I do love you. I want us to be together…like we used to be. We're made for each other Bulma." He stepped toward her again and she knew he was going to kiss her so she put her hand on his chest and held him still.

"Yamcha stop."

There was something in her voice that made his stomach churn.

"Yamcha, I." she stepped away from him and her heart lurched sadly. "I'm sorry Yamcha but we can't. We can't be together." There was a horrible silence where Yamcha's face fell. "I don't love you anymore. And I don't want us to be like we used too…we broke up all the time…you cheated on me Yamcha! I don't want to go back to that!"

"But it won't! I won't! Bulma, I.." his voice shook.

"It will Yamcha! It always does." She touched her hand to his cheek lightly. "I'm sorry. But I don't love you anymore."

He stared at her wordlessly, hurt and confusion across his face and his eyes – they looked so sad- that Bulma felt her own well with tears. She leant up and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry."

And she swept away swiftly, climbing gracefully into the back of the black Bentley without a backwards glance. She put her head in her hands. She didn't love him anymore. But some part of her wished she still did; _all those years for this… I never thought it would be like this. _

* * *

Just as the car was sliding away, Yamcha leapt forward and opened the door, sliding in next to Bulma nimbly.

"Stop!" he called to the driver as Bulma turned to him, her cerulean eyes wide with surprise.

"Bulma…I've got to tell you again. I love you. I always have…" he dropped his head slightly and gulped. His chest heaved. "And I'm sorry for everything. Everything."

He looked up and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him tightly. "I know," he paused, "I know you don't love me now…but I had to tell you. Just so you knew."

He pulled away and smiled sadly. "Let's go back."

Bulma nodded gently, before signalling to the driver to carry on.

* * *

Yamcha nodded silently in response to Bulma's soft 'Goodnight' and watched her as she headed up the stairs and towards her bedroom. He slunk into his own and undid his tie, flinging it onto the bed before flopping down. He let out a long sigh. _Man, I can't believe it. This is definitely not what I expected to happen._

"Yamcha?" Puar squeaked from the doorway and Yamcha rolled over and stared morosely.

"Yamcha? What happened?" Puar flew in, concerned at the tired look of sad resignation of Yamcha's face.

Yamcha sat up and dropped his head in his hands. "She doesn't love me anymore."

"What?!" Puar squeaked, hovering closer to Yamcha's shaking shoulders.

"Bulma…she doesn't love me." He paused and looked up. "Shit. Puar, what the hell do I do? She doesn't love me anymore…she just…doesn't….I thought we were meant for each other. Shit." He dropped his head in his hands again, and Puar landed on his shoulder to comfort him.

_I can't believe it. She doesn't love me_…his heart constricted painfully. _After everything we've been __through_…_I've lost her. _His mind flashed back to every moment he could remember, and he flopped back on his bed with a groan as he tortured himself with memories of things that would never be again.

* * *

Bulma crawled into bed and hugged her pillow to her chest. She felt vaguely numb and light-headed_. I can't believe it. I'm not in love with him anymore. I just, gave it all up…just like that._ She bit her lip and led back, putting her now squashed silk pillow behind her head. _But I know I've made the right decision- for the past few months I haven't felt the same about him, and no matter what everyone else might say- I __know__ I've made the right decision_. "I'm just surprised." She said aloud, blinking into the darkness. _Surprised about how easy it was to say it and end it all…I'm almost…__relieved__. _She swallowed tightly. She was relieved! She could feel it- it was _relief_ settling in her stomach, not regret or sadness. Sure, she would miss him- but as a friend more than anything. "Well, we'll still be friends!" she said with determination, before rolling onto her stomach. "I'll just give it some time…we'll always be friends."

She had no idea that on the ground floor, in Yamcha's room, Puar was trying to console Yamcha with that same piece of information.

* * *

Bulma woke up the next day in a surprisingly good mood, she met her personal trainer and eased through his gruelling regime with candour and found herself taking even more of an effort than usual as she showered and got ready afterwards. She picked up some fruit for breakfast and made her way to her father's lab.

"Hey Daddy." She buzzed in and plonked down a hot pot of tea next to her father's mail tray.

"Bulma, good morning!" Her father beamed up at her from his position on his knees behind his desk. He stood up and brushed down his lab coat.

"What were you doing on the floor?" Bulma asked quizzically, sliding a slice of apple into her mouth and perching on the edge of his desk.

He grinned, "I dropped my pen." He waved his favourite quill-like pen at her and then noticed the pot of tea. "Oh thank you!"

Bulma rolled her eyes but smiled fondly. "Have you done any more work on the new Gravity Chamber? I was thinking about showing Vegeta one of the new bots today- that way he can test it out and we'll know if we need to make any more adjustments on them before letting him loose on them all."

Dr Briefs nodded, before suddenly remembering Bulma had been out with Yamcha the night before. "How was your night?"

Bulma frowned, "It was ok." She stood up and logged onto the computer, "Anyway," she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I had a great idea for the new Chamber- remember how Vegeta's always messing around with the gravity levels and how badly that affects the temperature? Well, I thought that we should put in a temperature gauge and set that with an automatic diffuser. If it gets too hot or cold, it will automatically change the conditioning to normal levels, so Vegeta won't be interrupted so much and we won't have to check the controls so much."

Dr Briefs stared at his daughter in wonder. Only she could think of something so simple and make it genius. He grinned proudly. "That's a great idea."

Bulma beamed, "And it will be useful in the space pods!"

Dr Briefs nodded thoughtfully again, "I'll get to work on that today then. Why don't you take one of the new bots to Vegeta now and then we can work on those for the afternoon?"

Bulma nodded and stood up, "Great." She went into the engineering room and picked out one of the new bots, tucking it under her arm with a grin. _He's got to be impressed with this! I've modified it to perfection!_

* * *

Bulma was surprised to see Vegeta training on the lawn. She paused in the doorway and watched as he moved quickly across the grounds, and she let out an involuntary giggle. _It looks like he's fighting an invisible person!_

The sound immediately caught his attention, and he stopped in mid-air, glancing down and catching sight of Bulma immediately. She waved up at him.

He floated to the ground and surveyed her. _What is she so happy about? Didn't she have another date with that buffoon last night?_ He scowled at the thought and stepped closer, trying to see if he could sense Yamcha's scent on her. He smirked triumphantly when he found nothing but her own sweet smell. _So he didn't impress her last night? Ha, bad luck idiot. You've missed out._ He thought back to kissing her and a surge of desire engulfed him before he mentally kicked himself. _What kind of pathetic idiot are you? Caring if she has given herself to that weakling! _He growled inwardly, preparing to stalk off into the Gravity Chamber before he was halted by her hands shooting out in front of her, clutching a rather large, round, red bot.

"Surprise!" Bulma grinned widely and Vegeta looked up at her irritably, still furious with himself for being caught off guard by her and his desire for her again.

"What?" he snapped gruffly.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "It's a new bot! Remember, I told you about the new projects…I thought you should try it out, just so you can see how brilliant they are before the whole thing is done."

Vegeta looked at it and back at Bulma, "We'll see how good it is." He turned and walked towards the Chamber, shouting over his shoulder. "Well come on woman!"

Bulma growled, "Call me Bulma, or I'm not going anywhere."

Vegeta scowled. "Just do as I tell you for once woman."

Bulma scoffed, "Maybe I would if you asked nicely! Jeez, Vegeta, we've been through this before haven't we? Honestly," she huffed, "I don't know what's up with you!"

"ME?!" Vegeta cried out incredulously before he could stop himself, "You change your mind every day about everything woman! One day you're screaming like a lunatic and the next you're acting like my personal concubine!"

Bulma flushed, "I do not! Besides, _you_ kissed _me _buddy!"

Vegeta clenched his fists, "You didn't exactly complain…if I hadn't stopped you'd have been begging for more."

"Oh!" Bulma burst out angrily, "You big-headed jerk!" She threw the bot on the floor and scowled. "I wouldn't beg you for anything!"

Vegeta sneered as she strode away into the house and slammed the door behind her.

_She doesn't know what's up with me?! What nonsense is she talking about? Gah, this woman is so infuriating…ever since the day I've met her she's annoyed me as much as Kakarot!_ He scowled and shot the bot a dark glare, as if the entire thing was its fault, before slamming his way into the Gravity Chamber.

* * *

**please keep reviewing all you gorgeous people :D cheers**

**Nintendocat- i know exactly what you mean- i get the lust thing as i think that's probably a big part of Vegeta and Bulma's relationship and it's development, but both of them are way too stubborn to just give in all the time! and i think half of it is just how much she wants to figure him out, and it's getting a bit to be vice versa too ;) Things are going to get a bit quicker now that Yamcha's out of the way...(or is he? dun dun duh!!) THANKS A LOT!**

**Kitty- haha i know, that was a bit silly but i wanted to let her have a little fun! I'm so glad you don't think there is any OOC-ness going on, that is my biggest worry! :D thanks again for reviewing.**

**RangerInBlack- perfectly?! WOOHOO that made my day...you'll have to let me know if things ever start going awry then ;) thanks for reviewing!**

**MelodiMoon- aw i'm glad you liked that, it made me smile as i wrote it. I hope this chapter has cleared things up for you with the whole Bulma/Yamcha thing...although he's not necessarily gone for good. And yep, Vegeta should go for it...but im afraid he's just not that simple! Although you will see him making more of an effort soon enough! :D thanks!**

**anenihan- a new reviewer! :D thanks! i'm so glad people seem to think it's all in character! :D keep reviewing please! cheers!**


	9. Something New, Something Changed

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Nine: Something New, Something Changed**

'_It's a thief in the night to come and grab you,_

_it can creep up beside you and consume you,_

_a disease of the mind it can control you,_

_it's too close for comfort.'_

Rihanna: _Disturbia_

* * *

Bulma stirred in her sleep, half-waking up, her mind still foggy and her vision blurry as she gazed around the room. She was just falling back to sleep again when _thump_…she sat bolt right up, looking around with wide eyes, her heart racing. She couldn't see anything. She sat still, crouched up slightly, ready to spring or lash out if need be, and another _thump_ sounded.

"Who's there?" she called out, trying to contain the frightened shake in her voice.

"Who the hell do you think?" came a gruff response from her half shut balcony and she scrambled out of bed.

"Vegeta?" she pulled back the rest of the balcony door, and gasped when she saw Vegeta, leaning heavily against her rails, his chest heaving as if his very breathing was painful. "Oh hell, what have you done to yourself?"

Vegeta tried to stand up straight but couldn't and he winced in pain as he fell back against the railings again. Bulma rushed to his side. "This was your stupid machine…that new bot wasn't finished. Or it was set on killing me!" he growled.

Bulma frowned, "What?" _What is he talking about? Has he got concussion or something?!_

"You heard me. Your bot was mental." Vegeta groaned, slinking further down the rails and Bulma let out a horrified gasp as the moonlight revealed his wounds. He was bleeding heavily from his shoulder, his ribs, his right arm. His left eye was swollen and he had various scrapes and bruises all over his body as well. She crouched down beside him and wrapped an arm around his torso, attempting to pull him into her bedroom.

"Get off. I'm fine." He growled half-heartedly, but he leant against her and dragged himself into her room nonetheless.

Bulma stared down at him fearfully. "What the hell happened? You're bleeding so much…" she bolted up to her desk and buzzed through to her father straightaway, ordering him to get the emergency room prepped up. As soon as that was done she leapt back to Vegeta's side, where he was now staring blearily, his chest shaking with effort to breath. She clutched at him as he wheezed and coughed, and her lips trembled. _Oh hell! What if something happens to him? _Her stomach lurched and twisted with fear and she bent closer to him. "Don't you dare get worse Vegeta…we're going to have you patched up in no time. Just stay conscious…" she ripped her robe off and tore it to shreds with a desperate strength and wrapped it tightly around his wounds, ignoring his lame protests. He groaned as she propped him up to wrap up his shoulders wounds and she almost burst into terrified tears when he let out a horrific cough of blood.

"Vegeta!" she cried, her whole body was trembling with worry. Her heart was pumping desperately against her chest and she laid him down carefully, tilting his head and mopping up his blood-stained face.

"Stop fussing…" he murmured, opening his right eye to stare at her blearily. She let out a little upset giggle and clutched him tighter.

"Stop blowing yourself up and then I'll stop worrying." She whispered back.

He stared at her wordlessly, and his vision began to blur, and before he passed out he noted the fear and concern writ across her face and the scared tears shining in her eyes and in his weakened state he felt his heart lurch, but not with pain.

* * *

"Don't! Don't you dare say it! He'll be fine or you'll damn well lose your job and never find another!" Bulma hissed as the doctor opened his mouth, his face writ with resignation that Bulma both recognised and despised.

The doctor gaped like a goldfish and swallowed hastily. "He…well, he'll need a lot of medical attention. Twenty-four hour. He needs his wounds dressing and we've had to put him on a morphine drip and an injection of steroids to pump up his system. He's very weak."

"He's not weak! He's injured! And you are going to get him that twenty-four hour medical attention sorted out right now, and you can let your colleagues know that I will be overseeing everything myself!" Bulma hissed again, stalking past the frightened blond doctor and into the medical room, snatching the dressing materials off the nurse with a snarl and pulling a chair close to Vegeta's side. The nurse scampered from the room as Dr Briefs sent the doctor an apologetic shrug and patted the fearful nurse on the shoulder before heading into Vegeta's room and shutting the door behind him and his wife. They watched soundlessly as Bulma dressed Vegeta's wounds and rewrapped them carefully, her face a mix of concentration and concern. She looked up when she was finished and for the first time in the last 24hours of the non-stop medical work, Dr Briefs and his wife realised how tired and worried she looked.

"Bulma, dear, why don't you get some rest?" Mrs Briefs suggested gently.

Bulma glared at her, "I'm fine Mum. I'm not letting those buffoons look after him alone…I'm keeping an eye on all of this and making sure they're doing their best." She turned back to Vegeta and her heart lurched painfully again. _You stupid git. You've scared the life out of me. You are going to get better from this, because when you do I'm going to kill you_! She bit her lip as her eyes welled again. _Oh Vegeta, you better get better soon. _She wrapped her fingers around his clenched fist and stroked at it absently.

Mrs Briefs nodded and sent her husband a sad smile. "Well, your father will get everything sorted now dear…" they left the room quietly and Mrs Briefs stared back through the window in the door as they shut it. "Oh I hope he gets better. Poor Bulma is so worried…and he really is a nice man underneath it all I'm sure."

Dr Briefs took his wife's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "He'll be fine. We've got the best in the city working on him…"

* * *

Bulma spent the next twenty-fours as she had the last- glued to Vegeta's side and scaring the wits out of the medical team. Vegeta begun to recover his strength and his body was responding well to the steroids and the morphine and other treatments. Bulma suspected it was because of his Saiyan strength, _and because he's so bloody stubborn. Well, I won't let him do what he did last time- he's not training again till he's fully healed this time!_

She was watching the doctor test his unconscious body's reflexes when she finally fell asleep, her mind and body now relieved enough to let the exhaustion sink in.

She woke up a few hours later to find Vegeta's left hand twitching slightly, and with tremulous delight she picked up the reflex apparatus and knocked gently on his knees. They twitched right away. With a little whoop of excitement she grasped his left hand and squeezed the pressure point, her stomach flip-flopping when it flexed in response. She kneeled on the edge of his bed and leant over him to try the other wrist, and her fingers had just enclosed around it when his left hand gripped hers and she swivelled in surprise as his right encircled her wrist and his eyes opened.

"You're awake!" she cried out and she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and her stomach felt like it was doing a cheerleading routine in excitement.

"Well done." He smirked sarcastically back at her, and Bulma beamed.

"How do you feel? You scared the life out of me you know!" she wriggled slightly in his grasp, but he did not let her go- and though she was twisted uncomfortably across him and her knees were at an odd angle- she found she rather liked it.

"I told you not to fuss. I'm fine." He said calmly, and she marvelled at how _relaxed_ he seemed.

Vegeta smirked as she beamed down at him still, and shifted slightly, loosening his grip on her slightly, but nothing with interest how she did not move away. He studied her closely and saw how pale and strained she looked. _She's been here with you again. The whole time…bloody woman, she worries too much. Why does she worry about me anyway? She seems to be warming to me more and more everyday…though, that hasn't quelled her temper, _he thought with another smirk.

Bulma smiled down at him and shifted her weight, squeaking out an apology as he let out a grunt of pain as her knee involuntarily connected with his still sore ribs.

"I'm fine." He grumbled as Bulma scrambled off him. She looked so worried, he couldn't help but say, "Just be more careful would you?"

Bulma blanched, but he smirked again and realising he was teasing her, she rolled her eyes and said, "Yes your majesty," sarcastically. His smirk widened.

"Ah, so you've remembered your position again then?"

"Forever at your side you mean?" she said playfully, before realising how it could be interpreted and blushing slightly. Vegeta frowned. _She's blushing? Why? What's up with her now? _He realised the implications of what she had said and his eyebrows shot up his forehead and Bulma blushed deeper, turning her head away with a little cough. _Forever at my side?_

* * *

"Bulma, come on dear, Vegeta's asleep now, he's getting his rest and he's healing well…perhaps you should take a shower and have something to eat?" Mrs Briefs said gently as she spotted her daughter at Vegeta's bedside again.

Bulma glanced up, "Huh? Oh yeah…he's getting back to normal alright. And I haven't showered in two days…ew." She stood up and stretched, looking down at Vegeta's sleeping form and smiling fondly. _Yep, he's definitely back to normal. But nicer too…perhaps he's finally realising there's nothing wrong with liking people, or liking __me__ at least, _she thought a little smugly as she recalled how he had grumpily snarled at all the doctors and nurses, but smirked at and teased her. She ignored the jitter in her heart as being mere triumph, but the smile on her face told her mother a slightly different story.

"Oh, I said this would be interesting." Mrs Briefs grinned as Bulma left the room, humming happily to herself.

* * *

Bulma came back from her shower, refreshed and perky, and headed straight for the medical room. She collected some food on the way. _No doubt he's starving his ass off…kami, I'm surprised he hasn't demanded food already! _She grinned as she pushed her way into the room, but her smile vanished from her face as she found the room completely empty.

"Oh he is the stupidest man on this planet!" she cried angrily, setting the tray on the side and dashing out of the room. She couldn't find any of the medical staff so she ran out to the Gravity Chamber, tripping over her feet in her hurry as she logged in and pushed her way through the heavy door. The system shut down immediately, and Vegeta- having no doubt unwrapped his bandages himself- paused in mid kick.

"You complete moron! Are you trying to kill yourself?! Didn't you learn your lesson last time?! You need to let your body heal first!" Bulma shrieked, hands splayed on her hips.

Vegeta scowled at her, "I don't have time to lie around! Besides- my body is much stronger than yours, I'm…"

"'The Saiyan Prince'!" Bulma mocked with a scowl, "Yes I know you're a Saiyan Vegeta, I know you're all mighty and powerful, but you still need your rest!"

Vegeta opened his mouth to argue but Bulma spoke over him again, "If you really have to train, then at least do something less suicidal!"

"Like what?" he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to contain a wince as his shoulder twinged painfully.

Bulma noticed and rolled her eyes._ I knew it- he's just gone and made himself worse! Honestly! I've got to do something…hmm, what about physiotherapy? He doesn't have to know it's medical…I'll just pretend it's a form of exercise or something…anything gentle would be great: something water-based..._

_"_Like swimming...water-aerobics...it's good for your muscles." She said triumphantly, _Ha! Bulma Briefs you are a genius!_

Vegeta stared at her. _Water-aerobics? What the hell is she talking about?_

Bulma noted his sceptical silence and said tauntingly, "Honestly Vegeta, if you can't swim then you can just say so!"

"I can swim! I'm not an idiot!" he snapped back straightaway, just as Bulma knew he would.

"Well then," she smirked deviously, and crooked her finger at him, "let's get going."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later and Vegeta was stepping gingerly into the pool. _Water-aerobics? This better not be that stupid nonsense she does…How did I let myself get talked into this? That woman is such a_…his mind went completely blank as Bulma stepped out onto the lawn, wearing nothing but her tiny, red bikini. He swallowed tightly as he watched her saunter over, her hips swinging and he eyed the curve of her waist, mentally envisioning running his hands all over her smooth, creamy skin…

"Vegeta!" her voice suddenly sounded loudly and he glared up at her.

"What?" he snapped, annoyed she had distracted him for his fantasies and annoyed he'd let himself wallow in them…_yet again. She is proving to be more difficult than I thought to get out of my head. _He eyed her curiously as she rolled her eyes and climbed into the pool herself. _I've got to do something about it…_

"Well?" Bulma said impatiently, leaning against the poolside and trying to keep her eyes locked on his face rather than his toned chest and shoulders.

His head snapped over to hers and he stared at her with such an intensity she felt like her face would melt. A shiver ran down her spine and she wriggled uncomfortably.

_I'm going to figure you out woman…you're not going to keep catching me off guard like this…_ His eyes narrowed as she pushed off the wall and started treading water, avoiding his gaze with pink cheeks. _Hmm, interesting. She's uncomfortable…brilliant. Let's keep it that way._ He smirked dangerously and laid out on his back, his smirk widening as Bulma's eyes drifted across his body. _Looks like I already know one of her weaknesses, _he thought smugly, _I'm going to pick her to pieces_.

* * *

Bulma rolled her eyes and climbed out of the pool. Vegeta had ignored her practically non-stop for the last hour or so as he swum continuous lengths of the pool and she was bored out of her mind. _This was pointless…he hasn't spoken to me at all. He's hardly acknowledged my existence! I mean, how dare he! If I hadn't suggested the pool he'd probably have blown himself up for a second time by now_! She led out on the sun-lounger and scowled petulantly. _I've just spent the last two days worried sick about him and he can't even spare me a glance._ She shot a dark glare at the still swimming Saiyan and rolled over on to her back, flopping her head onto her arms.

Vegeta had in fact been paying the utmost attention to Bulma; he was simply subtle enough for her not to notice. He had been trying to pick her apart, piece by piece, and he was getting increasingly exasperated by his inability to do so. She seemed to have no hidden agenda, no falsity…He stopped swimming and begun to tread water, staring over at her as she led out on the sun lounger, her head buried in her arms. The only thing he was certain of was her desire…for him. He pulled himself out of the pool…_perhaps I should test this theory…the easiest way to get to an opponent is to exploit their weakness…_His body felt flooded with excitement and desire as he strode over to her and he grinned dangerously as she kicked her legs up and his hand shot out and enclosed around her ankle.

The moment Bulma rolled onto her side and spotted the mischievous glint in Vegeta's eyes she _knew_ that she had absolutely no chance against whatever he had in mind, and her stomach flip-flopped in apprehension at the thought.

* * *

"Watch what you're doing woman," his voice was low and fierce, and his eyes locked on hers, his mouth twisted into an almost cruel smirk.

"Well don't sneak up on me then." She retorted primly, trying to ignore the fact his hand was clamped tightly around her ankle. She wriggled slightly and was surprised when he let her go, and she rolled onto her front and sat up, curling her knees upto her chest as Vegeta sat on the base of her sun lounger, tipping her end precariously into the air with his weight and sending her tumbling into his chest.

He locked his arms around her waist, and whispered, "Careful." into her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe and sending a shiver down Bulma's spine.

Mortified, she tried to push herself up, but the first thing her hands came into contact with was his hard, smooth stomach and she let out a little gasp, curling her fingers so her nail scraped it slightly and she looked up, startled, as he let out a tiny hiss against her ear.

He bent his head down to hers and she felt a wave of desire sweep through her and turn her logical, brilliant mind into a pool of goo when his eyes locked on hers. Vegeta smirked as Bulma leaned into him, her hands pressing eagerly against his stomach, her eyes cloudy with want. He was struggling to maintain control of himself, his body was desperate for her…he was only inches away, if he bent down just a little his lips would cover hers like they had before…his hands slid against her waist and his mind succumbed to the desire coursing through him, his lips just brushing hers and Bulma's eyes fluttered shut…

BOOM!

Vegeta sprung up straightaway, alert for any sign of danger and furious with himself for giving in so easily…_can't you control yourself at all?! You were supposed to be teasing her not bloody satisfying your own stupid desires!_ He barely noticed as Bulma tumbled backwards, the force of his movement causing the lounger to wobble precariously, and she fell off with an "Ouch!"

She sat up and glared at Vegeta, "You asshole!"

"What?" he glanced over at her distractedly as she stood up and shoved her hands on her hips again. _That must be her fighting stance,_ he thought dryly.

"You just knocked me over! Jeez, have you got no manners…AHHH!" she let out a little scream as another BOOM sounded and rocked the very ground beneath them.

Vegeta flew off immediately, searching around for any high levels of energy and finding nothing but his eyes immediately locked on a growing cloud of smoke just as Bulma cried out, "The lab!" and pelted off into the house. Vegeta flew off straight after, landing at the centre of the smoke, which he found billowing out of the window of Dr Briefs' laboratory.

Seconds later, Bulma streaked past him, a white sundress pulled hastily over her bikini, and realising she was planning on pelting straight into the smoking laboratory, he shot out his hand and grabbed her arm, pulling her back roughly,

Bulma struggled in his grip, "Let go of me! My dad is in there!" _Oh kami, please let him be ok!_ "Daddy!" she shouted, trying desperately to pull of Vegeta's iron grip.

"You'll be no help. Stay here." Vegeta ordered, pulling her back behind him and striding into the smoke himself, pushing open the half burnt door to the laboratory. He stared around, his eyes narrowing against the billowing smoke but he couldn't see the source of the fire, nor Bulma's father. He stepped in completely, and his eyes widened as he took in the half-melted laboratory. _What happened here? And where is that damn man? _He tried to sense Dr Briefs energy level but found nothing, and he frowned again, stepping around carefully until he spotted something…a foot poking out from under a desk.

He got over quickly and pulled the desk up easily, scooping up Dr Brief's unconscious body in his arms. The man started twitching straightaway and he opened his eyes blearily before rasping out, "No…" just seconds before Vegeta registered the bot hovering above his head ominously, and before it could even beep out a noise he put his hand up and blasted it, flying out of the lab as the bot exploded loudly, sending a second wave of fire and smoke throughout smoking room.

"Vegeta! Dad!" Bulma screamed in horror, rushing forward as the lab went up in flames and smoke, before a hand crashed down on her shoulder and pinned her in her place. She spun around furiously and let out a relieved cry as Vegeta stood before her; her father leaning against his side.

"Daddy! You're ok!" she jumped up on the spot and rushed to her father's side, wrapping her arms around him and attempting to hold him up right. Her mother burst out of the house moments later.

"Oh what happened here! Oh my!" Mrs Briefs dropped the shopping she was holding as she spotted Dr Briefs, covered in dirt and cuts, and she squealed, "Darling!" and ran over, wrapping her arm around her husband and babbling, "Let's get you inside and checked out. Oh goodness, what happened? Oh, your laboratory!"

Bulma helped her mother support her father inside the house, and Vegeta watched the family go as the lab's automatic fire response set off and begun to hose down the dimming flames. Bulma paused in the doorway and called over her shoulder, "Come on Vegeta!" and he followed after them quietly, a strange sense of gratification settling in his stomach as he heard Bulma say quietly to her mother, "Vegeta saved his life."

* * *

Bulma came out of her parent's bedroom and went straight in search of Vegeta, finding him exactly where she had expected him to be: the kitchen. She said nothing as she walked in, she headed straight for the fridge and peered inside it, before pulling out an armload of food and dropping it on the side. She turned to Vegeta, who was sat at the table eating a bowl of noodles she had left in the fridge from the day before, and smiled. "So, what do you want to eat?"

Vegeta glanced up at her, "What?"

"Dad's fine…thanks to you." She smiled warmly, "So whatever you want- I'll make it."

"Anything?" Vegeta reclined in his chair and raised his eyebrows tauntingly.

Bulma merely smiled wider, "Anything. In fact, how about I make you a load of everything we had a few nights ago and you can eat what you fancy?"

Vegeta nodded, "You do have some good ideas after all." He smirked slightly and Bulma nodded, before pausing thoughtfully and leaning down to kiss his cheek. She smiled Vegeta gaped up at her, his stomach fluttering slightly as her cerulean eyes shone down at him, glittering with something that he didn't recognise. _She's never looked at me like __that__ before_…he thought in confusion, not able to understand the warmth she was practically radiating towards him.

_Honestly, I will never doubt Vegeta again…he saved Dad's life. I __knew__ there was more to him than meets the eye._ She turned to the food and shot a coy glance over her shoulder at him and her heart swelled in her chest. _Oh Vegeta._

* * *

**reviews reviews reviews please :D**

**RangerInBlack- the loving is coming i promise, i hope you don't think this is dragging too much, i just don't think either of them would rush into anything...but we all know no-one can ignore hormones forever ;) cheers for reviewing!**

**Nintendocat- aw thanks, i'm glad you think the whole Yamcha thing was handled well, I didn't want to portray him as a complete jerk, just as a guy who makes mistakes! I know it's still going a bit slow between Vegeta and Bulma but things are progressing and i don't want to do either of them the injustice of making them completely hormonal driven...for one thing Vegeta would never give up his control that easily- i'm looking forward to getting that fully typed and posted though ;) - and Bulma wouldn't do it without some sort of real affection for him! Let me know what you think again please :D thanks!**

**MelodiMoon- glad you liked the Yamcha/Bulma bit...and thanks for calling the chapter awesome :D yes, there is Vegeta/Bulma coming up, don't worry i'd NEVER forget about him :D thanks again for reviewing!**

**anenihan- haha poor Yamcha (he kinda has lost though!) ...and im working on the Bulma/Vegeta action i promise ;) thanks for the reviews! :D keep 'em coming please!**


	10. Wake Up, Wake Up

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Ten: Wake Up, Wake Up**

'_The little things you do to me are  
Taking me over, I wanna show ya  
Everything inside of me,  
Like a nervous heart that, is crazy beating.  
My feet are stuck here, against the pavement,  
I wanna break free, I wanna make it  
Closer to your eyes, get your attention  
Before you pass me by.'_

Colbie Caillat: _The Little Things_

* * *

Days had passed since Dr Briefs' laboratory fire and after hearing his story of the bots' destructive pattern, and remembering Vegeta's brief of what had happened in the Gravity Chamber, Bulma had been triple-checking all of her father and hers' plans and stats for the bots, trying to figure out what went wrong.

She had- just the day before- recovered the melted remains of the bot and was planning on checking them out when Vegeta strode into the kitchen and sat down in the seat at the opposite end of the table. She bid him a cheery "Good morning", to which he grunted in response, and then stood up and begun to make his breakfast. She grilled the bacon and sausages and bread, poached the eggs and sliced the tomatoes and mushrooms, all the while chatting animatedly about her plans for the day.

It had become somewhat of a routine. Bulma discovered- and was not at all surprised- that he responded well to routine. He arrived at the same time every morning, wanting the same food every morning, he listened to her babbling- she knew he listened because sometimes he would randomly question her about it later on- and he ate in silence, finishing his meal at the same time every morning. She filled up the fruit bowl as he ate his meal, and poured herself a coffee, and carried on reading the fashion pages of the paper- as she did every morning.

_It feels a bit like we're married or something,_ she thought in bemusement, looking up to trail her eyes over his handsome features. _You can tell he's a Prince…he looks so aristocratic._ With his high brow and defined cheekbones and jaw line, he was haughtily handsome. She found his hair the most interesting though. It was almost flame shaped and it never changed. _It hasn't grown a bit since he's been here. Goku's hair is the same though, it must be a Saiyan trait. _She sipped at her coffee and studied him further. _He really is a puzzle…but I'm piecing him up bit by bit. I've just got to work on his communication skills. He listens well enough, and he can certainly talk when he wants too – although only when he's showing off or he's angry_. _But I did make progress before, and now he's settling in- _she almost laughed aloud when she recalled going into his room a few days before and finding he had re-arranged everything so it was the most organised, minimalist room possible_. So I know he's anal, organised…he's obsessive about being the best he can be, and he hates showing his weaknesses, or even admitting he has any….which he certainly does: His pride for one, his arrogance…and his insecurity- because underneath it all he's scared he's not enough and that's why he hates Goku so much- for being so comfortable with who he is. _She sighed and looked back down at the paper, not noticing Vegeta glance up and lock his onyx eyes on her- like he did every morning. He studied her carefully, appreciating her beauty, before shoving his last forkful into his mouth and pushing away from the table, grunting a response as she called "See you at lunch" like she did every morning.

* * *

Vegeta sat down, breathing heavily, and rubbed his aching shoulder with a furious scowl plastered across his face. _I know I can do better than this…I know it. I've got to be able to become Super-Saiyan…I have to beat Kakarot! I am the Prince of all Saiyans, I cannot be beaten by a third-class warrior…especially not a clown like him!_ He remembered what Bulma had said to him earlier in the week, about how he had willingly had his tail cut off to prevent his transformations…_What kind of fool would willingly relinquish such power? What had the woman said…something about him not wanting to hurt people? She said it was so noble of him_.

"What nonsense," he growled aloud, standing up and stretching out his arm, listening to the bone crack loudly with grim satisfaction. He was about to start again when the video link machine flickered on and Bulma's face appeared on the screen. _Speak of the devil…_

"What do you want?" he snapped, and she rolled her eyes.

"I need to talk to you." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. She was annoyed, but feeling self-conscious; he had noticed that whenever she was feeling particularly defensive or insecure of something she crossed her arms over her chest, just like he had noticed she always splayed her hands on her hips whenever she was furious and preparing for an argument, and like he had noticed she always involuntarily shivered every time he caught her staring…he shook himself and turned his gaze back to her, eyebrows arched.

"How many times have I told you not to interrupt my training?"

Bulma pursed her lips, "You can spare a few minutes. It's about the bot. I need to know exactly what happened when it attacked you in the Chamber."

"I've already told you what happened woman!" he growled, stretching out again and preparing to cut off the link and carry on with his training.

"Well fine, I suppose you won't want to know how it managed to figure out your power levels or techniques then?"

That caught his attention. "What?"

"The bot's learning on its own. It's built up a bit of a database of information on you…I can't get much sense out of it since you basically blew it to pieces but…"

"What does it know?" Vegeta interrupted swiftly, frowning. _Learning on its own? How is that possible?_

"It knows your current power level...but then your ki radar knows that and more…but it also can…" she paused and Vegeta recognised a flicker of concern cross her face, "It can almost dictate your every move…"

Vegeta started and stared up at her. "What do you want to know?"

Bulma smiled gratefully, "Hang on a second, I'll be right over." Before he could protest the link switched off.

'_It can almost dictate your every move'…'learning on it's own'…what the hell have they built?_

* * *

Bulma rushed over to the Gravity Chamber, her laptop and the remainder of the bot in her arms, chewing her lip and thinking rapidly. _How can this be possible? I've checked practically every stat, every single piece of data Dad and I used for this thing, but nothing is explaining it's behaviour…it's like it came alive or something…_ She reached the Chamber and rapped on the door, startled by how quickly Vegeta responded. He glared down at her, and she knew he was unhappy about being interrupted but was too curious to tell her to stuff it. She slipped past him and immediately sat down, crossing her legs under her and setting the laptop on her lap, flicking it open and back to the page she had been working on before making her startling discovery. Once it was up and running, she motioned Vegeta over.

Vegeta strode over and crouched down beside her, staring at the mass of data on the screen with confusion and curiosity.

"Basically, the bot's hard-drive got a mind of it's own. I'm not sure how that happened yet, but that's not the point. The point is that it took to you immediately- it set you out as it's primary opponent and in the short space of time you used it, it gathered up as much data as possible about you and used that to plan an attack of it's own." She tilted her head to glance over at him, her eyes widening as she realised their proximity.

He gazed back at her, eyes flickering over face, before turning back to the screen, "So it did try to kill me?"

Bulma turned away and nodded, "Yeah…it thought of you as its primary opponent. When that attack failed it turned on my dad, knowing he had the ability to shut it down."

"What about you?" Vegeta asked.

"Huh?" Bulma spun back to face him, completely non-plussed.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Why hasn't it attacked you? Surely you can disable it too."

Bulma nodded, wondering if that was a _compliment_ to her intelligence, "Yes I can, but it was only turned on once in my presence…it couldn't have developed its own sense of survival at that point and therefore couldn't categorise me as a threat."

Vegeta frowned, "What about all the rest of the things you've built? The new Chamber?"

Bulma winced, this was the bit she was dreading. "There won't be a new Chamber…we can't take that risk until I can figure out how the bot developed it's own system…if the Gravity Chamber could do the same," she shuddered, "it's not worth the risk." She folded up her laptop and winced again as Vegeta stood up, arms crossed over his chest, "I'm sorry…"

He scowled and shrugged, "Whatever."

Bulma gaped, _Whatever? That's it? No screaming row? No insults? _She stood, flabbergasted, frozen to the spot until Vegeta huffed and raised his eyebrows archly.

"Is there something else or are you just wasting my time now?"

Bulma shook her head and swallowed several times to try and regain her composure and her voice, "Err, No. No, that's all." She nodded, "Right, well, I'll go…" she turned to leave and looked back at him, "Lunch at one o'clock?"

Vegeta nodded shortly, "Fine."

Still slightly stunned, Bulma nodded again, and stared a little longer, before Vegeta stomped over and grabbed the door and she scampered off, shooting another bemused look over her shoulder as he shut the door with a bang.

* * *

Vegeta shut down the Gravity Chamber with a frown and headed for the kitchen, casually looking around the lawn and noticing suddenly that Yamcha wasn't doing his own training there_. If you can call that training_, he thought disdainfully. _But where is the weakling anyway? He's normally hovering around Bulma like a pathetic puppy…_

"Ah! There you are Vegeta!" Mrs Briefs seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere, standing in front of Vegeta, her gardening apron tied around her waist and wearing her trademark grin.

Vegeta scowled in response.

"I was hoping you'd be out soon- off to have lunch with Bulma? Wonderful- you two do seem to be getting along!" She winked and Vegeta, before he could control it, felt his cheeks pink in both rage and embarrassment. He gaped wordlessly. '_Getting along'? What's that supposed to mean? Why did she wink? Who the hell does she think she is?!_

Mrs Briefs- completely oblivious to Vegeta's mental rant, since he couldn't quite wrap his still stunned state around saying the words aloud- carried on, "Anyway, I wanted to speak to you, I've got some exciting news!" she beamed brighter still and Vegeta scowled again. "There's going to be a lovely ball! It's a Capsule Corp do, all the workers get together, etc, etc, but anyway, since Bulma and I and my dear husband will be hosting it I thought it'd be a lovely idea for you to come! You won't be able to train that night anyway as we'll be too busy, so I thought you could take the night off with us all." Before Vegeta could even open his mouth to tell her there was no way in hell he would go, she sped on, "I've already got you a lovely suit sorted out again so you've got no excuse now! It's on Wednesday night, and you'll be wanted around 9ish I should say- in the dining hall this time…" she sent him a cheery wave, and slightly gobsmacked, Vegeta watched silently as she wandered off, murmuring to herself.

_This is ridiculous. I've got to ignore another night of training for some idiotic ball. What are they? Royalty?! _He frowned and finally forced his feet to move, heading towards the kitchen with a growling stomach, _I wonder if that idiot weakling will be going too?_

* * *

Bulma plonked the tray of sandwiches on the table and frowned in surprise as the phone trilled loudly. She reached over the table and picked it up, "Hello?"

"Bulma? Hi. It's me."

"Yamcha?! What on earth are you doing ringing me?! Where are you?" Bulma was completely caught off guard, and suddenly squirmed with guilt. She hadn't seen him in the last week at all, heck, she hadn't even _thought_ about him for a millisecond.

"I'm at my apartment."

Bulma's eyes bulged and she briefly lost her grip on the phone in surprise. "What apartment?"

There was a pause, before Yamcha said, "I moved out on Wednesday Bulma," tersely.

Bulma bit her lip and winced, _Oh crap. I didn't even know he'd moved out!_ She scrambled for something to say when he added, "Not that you noticed…I suppose you were too busy making meals and such for Vegeta," with such a bitterness that Bulma felt as if he'd punched her in the gut.

"What?! Yamcha, Vegeta was injured on Tuesday, I spent the whole of Wednesday looking after him." She paused, "I'm sorry I didn't know you've moved out, but you didn't tell me and I've had a lot on my plate this week."

"Yeah, I suppose running around after Vegeta can be quite tiring." The venom in Yamcha's voice raised Bulma's heckles straightaway; her guilt replaced with anger.

"Look buddy, _shut up_ about Vegeta. If you want to be so pathetic to slag him off then go do it to someone who cares what you think. I'm sorry I didn't know you'd moved out, but I actually _do_ care about Vegeta and I didn't want anything to happen to him, and since you're so bothered about what kept me busy I'll have you know that my Dad almost died in an explosion…and guess what, it was _Vegeta _who saved his life!" Bulma slammed the phone down and let out a furious huff of breath, turning around to grab a sandwich and pausing when she spotted Vegeta stood in the doorway, looking completely stunned. Bulma immediately stored a mental image of it, _He looks so unguarded. I've never seen him look so caught off-guard. _

The moment she thought that though, it was like he had read her mind, and his trademark scowl snapped back into place. "Lovers quarrel?" he sneered.

Bulma felt like this time he'd punched her in the stomach. And it hurt twice as much. "Actually, we aren't dating anymore…but that doesn't make it any easier arguing with him over someone as ungrateful as you."

He didn't say anything, to which Bulma was both surprised and relieved. She didn't have the energy to argue with him. She sat down and helped herself to a few sandwiches and ate them in silence.

Vegeta watched her curiously, her words _'I actually do care about Vegeta' _seemed to be floating around and around in his mind…_'we aren't dating anymore'_…he couldn't quite escape the satisfaction that filled him…Without really knowing what he was doing, he strode over and sat opposite her, filling his plate with sandwiches and eating in silence. He wished she would speak- despite the fact her chatter sometimes drove him mad, he liked the sound of her voice, how confident she was. She certainly wasn't afraid of him, or of what he or anyone else thought of her. He _admired_ her. He glanced up and scanned her quickly, taking note of how dull her usually bright eyes seemed, and how she was beginning to look peaky rather than creamy-skinned. He frowned. _What's wrong with her? Is she ill? _

Bulma prodded at her sandwiches and stared down at them. _This is ridiculous. I shouldn't feel this bad…he's never exactly pleasant to me. Why should it matter that he didn't thank me for sticking up for him? Why would he? No-one's probably done it before. And besides, he probably doesn't give a hoot about me._

And again, as if he had read her mind, and was determined to prove her wrong, Vegeta suddenly stood up and coughed slightly to get her attention. Bulma glanced up and was stunned to see a pink tinge on his cheeks. It was only the firm line of his mouth that kept her from immediately pointing it out.

"I'm going to take my lunch into the Gravity Chamber. I need more time to train because of that ridiculous ball on Wednesday."

Bulma gaped, "You're coming to that?"

Vegeta nodded stiffly and lingered a moment, and he frowned before adding, "I'll see you at dinner."

Bulma grinned, immediately knowing this was both his apology and thank-you. "See you at dinner." She repeated, too pleased to properly recognise the butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach as he nodded again and strode from the room.

* * *

Later on in her lab, all Bulma could do was recognise her still fluttering stomach. And it was driving her barmy. _What on earth is going on? I can't be attracted to Vegeta_…she paused for a moment and her body seemed to ache as she remembered his kiss…_ok, stuff that, I can be __attracted__ to Vegeta. But butterflies in my stomach?! This is all wrong! I can't…I can't __like__ him …it's the most ridiculous, impossible, stupid, wonderful, exciting…AHH! _She dropped her head in her hands and burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

Dinner seemed to fly around and Bulma's stomach was still fluttering. She winced and hoped he wouldn't notice. _Oh heck, don't Saiyans have a great sense of smell? I'm probably going to be wafting off pheromones like I'm in heat!_ She chuckled at the thought, _Not that I'd be complaining if he kissed me again_…She sighed dreamily before shaking herself_. Get a grip Bulma. You're a grown woman now, not a silly teenage girl._ She shoved the roast chicken in the oven and let out a large snort of laughter.

"Very charming." A dry voice suddenly sounded and Bulma spun around, already knowing she would see Vegeta stood in the doorway. She flushed the moment she spotted him and couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face.

"Hi." She said breathlessly, before mentally slapping herself as he raised an eyebrow.

_Something's cheered her up_…he sauntered into the room and sat down at the table, scanning her over again as she carried on with her cooking.

"So, what made you decide to come on Wednesday?" Bulma asked, trying to sound casual, and suddenly feeling like she _was_ a teenage girl all over again.

Vegeta snorted this time, "Your mother."

"My mum?! What did she do? Threaten you with her garden plants?" Bulma teased, and Vegeta noted her eyes were sparkling again. He briefly wondered if he had anything to do with her mood change, before realising she had spoken. He didn't want to admit how easily he had given in so he grumbled, "Something like that."

Bulma laughed, feeling the jitters in her stomach tenfold as reluctant smile spread across Vegeta's face.

_I'm smiling, _Vegeta realised with a sudden, overwhelming feeling of confusion. _Why the hell am I smiling? What is it about this woman that is messing with my mind…my __emotions__?_ He would have shuddered at using the word in the same sentence as himself, but Bulma turned around and placed a large glass of juice in front of him with a smile and a saucy wink that sent his mind wandering into a _very_ different direction.

* * *

**Oh my god, I am so sorry for the rubbish delays with this story for the last week, I have been having major connection troubles! All is solved now, and to make up for the long wait I've put two chapters up at once! :D**

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews- i hope you carry on! You gorgeous lot keep me going! And I promise I won't take this long to update again! :D xxxx**


	11. Something More

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Eleven: Something More**

'_And I'd give up forever to touch you,  
__because I know that you'd feel me somehow.  
__You're closest to heaven I'll ever be,  
__And I don't want to go home right now._

_And I don't want the world to see me,  
'cause I don't think that they'd understand.  
When everything's made to be broken,  
__I just want you to know who I am.'_

Goo Goo Dolls: _Iris_

* * *

Bulma stared in her wardrobe despondently. Despite the fact it was walk-in, huge and filled to the brim with clothes, she couldn't find a thing to wear. Or, more importantly, she couldn't find the perfect dress to wear.

She sighed and slammed the door, stalking over and plopping herself down at her dresser. _I've got to wear something amazing…something breath-taking…something that is going to blow Vegeta's mind_. She pulled a face and decided there was nothing more to it- she'd have to go shopping. Her mouth bloomed into a smile, S_hopping is always something to be happy about. _

* * *

Bulma reached her favourite designer store and smiled, her whole body relaxing as the staff rushed over to her with a glass of champagne, a tray of chocolate truffles and mouthfuls of compliments. She beamed as they ushered her into a seat and started preparing a large dressing room for her, and she popped a truffle in her mouth as she waited for her personal assistant. Ezme appeared no more than a minute later.

"Oh Bulma! You look wonderful! _Your hair_!" Ezme rushed over and hugged her tightly, leaning back to admire Bulma's hairstyle. "Gosh it is _amazing_!"

Bulma beamed, "Zuuo is a genius!" She sipped at her champagne as Ezme perched on the seat next to her.

"So, what can I do for you today? Got a hot date? Or is there another travelling wardrobe you need doing?" Ezme tossed her black hair over her shoulder and grinned.

Bulma smiled, "I need a dress for a ball. Not just any old dress, it's got to be _perfect_!"

Ezme grinned knowingly, "Someone to impress?"

Bulma sipped at her champagne, "Maybe," she said coyly, "Speaking of which, how are things with your lovely boyfriend?"

Ezme grinned wider still, "Oh, its brilliant Bulma! He's just booked us a holiday! It's a surprise location and everything!" She paused as one of the assistants scampered over with a booklet of the store's clothes and passed it to Bulma. "He's so romantic." She added dreamily.

"It sounds it!" Bulma said, feeling a little envious, before flipping the book open and scanning through it. She was almost at the back of it, having found nothing she liked and nodding a long to Ezme's boyfriend talk, when she spotted it: The perfect dress.

"Oh!" she said aloud, eyes widening as she scanned it meticulously. Ezme stopped talking and peered over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, that's wonderful." She whispered, and Bulma nodded, so she motioned the assistants over to get the dress. She stood up and led Bulma into the changing room, and then clapped her hands to shoo everyone out when the dress arrived. She gazed at it with reverence before passing it to Bulma, "Here you go."

Bulma grinned and shut the door, peeling her clothes off hastily and stripping to her underwear, staring at the dress in wonderment. It was gorgeous. _Hopefully it will be on me too!_ She glanced over it quickly again and realised she'd need to take off her bra, so she did that quickly before gently picking up the dress and putting it on.

Moments later, the dress was on and Bulma- not looking in the mirror yet- opened the door to Ezme, "I need tying up please!"

Ezme obliged immediately, tying the thin straps around Bulma's neck prettily and waiting as she turned around. "Oh wow." She said gently as she took in the blue-haired beauty's appearance.

Bulma smiled and stepped into line with the mirror, immediately grinning at what she saw. _The dress is perfect, breathtaking and mind-blowing_!

"This is it Ezme!" she turned around excitedly and Ezme nodded frantically.

"You look so amazing Bulma," she grinned, "and you know what- I think I have the perfect shoes and accessories for that!"

Bulma beamed excitedly and glanced back into the mirror again. _Oh you are going to be eating your heart out Vegeta. And I can't wait._

* * *

Vegeta got ready slowly and grumpily, scowling as he struggled to tie the thin black tie into a smart knot. After another few minutes of fumbling, he finally got it looking presentable and he scanned himself in the mirror. Mrs Briefs had gotten him the same sort of suit he had worn a few weeks back at the dinner, but it was even more finely cut and slick. Vegeta rolled his eyes,_ I wonder how much that lunatic woman spent on this suit. _His mind wandered involuntarily to Bulma and her own outrageous spending habits. _No doubt she's spent an absurd amount on another pointless piece of material. _He briefly wondered what she'd be wearing, before his mind flashed up images of her slinky black dress at the dinner, her tiny red bikini and her scruffy but fitted tank top and shorts lab uniform. He couldn't deny the fact that she looked gorgeous in anything she wore. _And probably even more gorgeous in nothing_, he thought, desire coiling in his stomach.

* * *

Bulma smiled politely at the Professor her father was introducing before glancing around him towards the door once more. _Still no sign of Vegeta…maybe he isn't coming? Heck, he better do! I didn't get this dressed up to be perved over by some of Dad's old colleagues! _She glanced around the room to see if he had snuck in and burrowed himself away in a dark corner- as was customary for him in social events- and instead found herself the subject of many admiring and lecherous gazes. She narrowed her eyes and tossed her head, smiling another polite greeting as the next scientist sidled up to her and her father.

* * *

Bulma spent the next half hour doing much the same thing, looking for Vegeta, politely acknowledging the top Capsule Corp associates and getting annoyed at the sheer audacity of the staring men._ Honestly, I know I look good but have they no shame?! Eugh!_ She tried not to think about the fact that she wouldn't be complaining if a certain Saiyan Prince was doing the staring.

She snatched a glass of champagne off a passing waiter and glanced up as she downed half of it in one go, immediately catching sight of a pair of onyx eyes locked on her. She blinked and the eyes were gone, but knowing it was Vegeta, she rushed over, pushing past and ignoring any Capsule Corp employees who tried to speak to her in her hurry. She found the corner she thought she had seen him in and sighed when she found it empty_. Oh Bulma, have you lost it? Did you just imagine that? _She sighed again and downed the rest of the glass, sliding it onto a table next to her and almost jumping out of her skin when a low voice tickled her ear.

"Shouldn't you be entertaining your guests?"

Bulma spun around and found herself face to face with Vegeta, who was lurking further along in the shadows of the corner, his face only slightly illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the dining hall's frosty glass ceiling.

She couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face at the sight of him and her heart seemed to skip a beat as she noticed the smirk playing across his lips. "Well, what would you like me to do to entertain you Vegeta? You are a guest after all." she winked and sauntered over closer to him, sashaying her hips and making sure the moonlight hit a spotlight on her.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he took in her full appearance. She looked…_like a goddess. A queen._ She was wearing a satiny navy dress, which fell against her like a wave of shimmering silk. It was held up with little straps tied around her neck, and skimmed against her curves seductively.

Bulma grinned triumphantly. She turned to the side slightly, watching his eyes widen still before she pulled out her killer card and turned around completely, peering coyly over her shoulder and watching as Vegeta blushed at the sight of her bare back and wiggling bottom. "What do you think?"

Vegeta gaped. _That dress…it's_…he couldn't even manage coherent thought as his eyes trailed down her bare back, lingering desperately on where it finally covered her up again at the base of her spine. He took her in hungrily and when she let out a giggle and spun around again he glanced up and felt a wave of confusion, desire and embarrassment flood him as she leant up against him and planted a chaste but soft kiss on his cheek, squeezing his shoulder and brushing her chest deliberately up against his as she did so.

"You look great too Vegeta." Bulma, pride, elation and desire filling her, winked cheekily and swept away.

Vegeta gaped after her, completely flabbergasted. It took him a few minutes to regain his senses. _That woman is such a minx, an enigma_… he watched intently as she cheerfully chattered with some old men whom he presumed were colleagues or of the like, and couldn't help but growl with a sense of irritation as she completely ignored him. _So she thinks she can play with a Saiyan Prince? Ha, you've got another thing coming woman…I will pick you to pieces soon, and you stand no chance. _

* * *

Bulma laughed loudly as the young Professor spun her around the dance floor, watching him shimmy awkwardly to the beat of the relatively pop-like song. She sent him an encouraging grin and he beamed back at her proudly, and she laughed again, twirling one last time as the song ended. She clapped loudly and let out a few cheers, before thanking the man and sidling off the dance floor, her eyes seeking out the dark gaze she had been catching all night. She had hoped that how fabulous she looked alone would be enough to make him do something, but other than the brief moment earlier and his intense stare; he had yet to do anything.

Bulma sighed and tossed her head impatiently. _Honestly, I have to do everything with this man. _She took two glasses of champagne off a nearby waiter and strode over to him, where he was still hidden in the shadows; although more people had noticed him and some had even tried to approach him. Of course, his rude and abrupt behaviour had caused quite a stir, and there were whispers around the ball about who exactly the Brief's mysterious guest was.

Vegeta watched Bulma come towards him and rolled his eyes when she reached him with a wide smile and holding out a glass of champagne.

"Don't you want to dance?" Bulma asked, putting down the refused drink. She had to bite her lip to refrain from laughing outright at the look on his face.

"Don't be absurd." Vegeta scowled back at her.

Bulma kept her face impassive, but inside was laughing her head off. "Oh don't worry Vegeta, I won't tell anyone."

"Tell anyone what? What are you talking about?" he demanded, half-cross and half-confused. He hadn't been listening to her properly; his entire attention was fixed on her scintillating dress and her alluring scent.

"That you can't dance." Bulma said, mock-innocently, looking at him with such an expression of guiltlessness that he actually had to double-take before he realised she was teasing him again.

"Nice try, but you can't bait me into dancing with you, no matter how pathetic your other options are." He raised an eyebrow smugly and crossed his arms over his chest.

Bulma burst out laughing and Vegeta felt a confusing swell of pride at the sound of it, knowing it was because of him. She grinned at him and opened her mouth to speak, but her father's voice suddenly boomed over the quietening music.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the annual Capsule Corporation Ball! I am very happy and proud to name each and every one of you as a colleague, friend or inspiration and I'm delighted you all made it here again!" He gave a little bow as everyone clapped. Bulma cheered loudly and Vegeta rolled his eyes beside her. _She's always so loud and lively. _

"Thank you, thank you. Now, I would like you all to give an equally warm welcome to my lovely daughter and the brilliant Vice President of Capsule Corporation- Bulma Briefs!" Her father waved his hand around to gesture her towards him on the stage and Bulma started, sending Vegeta a grin before sauntering through the crowd and taking her place next to her father.

"Thank you!" Bulma beamed, and sent Vegeta another wink, to which he rolled his eyes but felt a swell of amusement nonetheless. "Thank you again for making the effort to come here tonight, and to look so gorgeous too!" The crowd laughed and Bulma mock-curtseyed. "Also, I'd like to thank my father for that wonderful introduction." The crowd clapped again. "As you know, my father is the creator and President of Capsule Corporation and has – since its very opening- put his all into the company and it's every outlet. Tonight, I want everyone to recognise the fantastic work he has produced time and again, but also particularly to recognise his ability to always be one step ahead of the curve. Tonight- we are going to celebrate my father and his latest invention for Capsule Corporations- the rejuvenated Space Pod!"

The crowd cheered as Bulma gestured her father forward and place an affectionate kiss on his cheek. Mrs Briefs giggled and clapped cheerfully as Dr Briefs blushed and beamed.

"Thank you, thank you," Dr Briefs pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned wider, "First I must thank Bulma for the generous compliment she paid me in her speech, and secondly I must correct a few elements of it- The Space Pod is not my invention, but hers." He turned to Bulma proudly, "Ever since she was a little girl, Bulma has been brighter, more vibrant and dedicated than anyone I've ever known. She used to correct and adapt my inventions from the age of seven, when she first got hold of a telephone and rewired it so it no longer crackled with bad signal! I've always known that she would be a star- and I am unimaginably proud that it is within my own field of delight- in science." He grinned and Bulma smiled wobbly, her eyes welling with touched tears, "She is the greatest asset to Capsule Corporation, and she has just made the greatest invention of its entire existence- the Space Pod X. Please Bulma, introduce your work." He gestured her forward again and Bulma, with a proud and elated giggle, took centre stage.

Vegeta watched as she made a speech about the Space Pod and he felt a sense of affection and admiration swarm within him. She really was a genius. A beautiful, daft, kind Genius. He couldn't help but let his lips quirk into a half-smile as she caught his eyes and he kept his eyes locked on hers as he raised his hands slightly at the end of her speech and clapped soundly for a while.

Seeing him clap made Bulma feel more proud than she ever had in her life, and she grinned widely, completely missing the next thing her father said.

* * *

Bulma kicked herself for skipping that one moment of concentration and thus not being able to sidetrack her father's ridiculous idea. One man – who'd had his hand up for a while- finally got picked and his question made her want to either kill him on the spot or turn-back time and stun her father before he could be so silly as to suggest a question and answer session.

Vegeta froze as an elderly man turned and pointed at him, and he scowled as the man's words seemed to echo around his head, _'What kind of alien is he?'_

Dr Briefs chuckled, the champagne having impaired his judgement and sensibility and said, "Vegeta is of an advanced race; a race who's genetics allows him to be much physically stronger, faster and more agile than any human on this planet." He chuckled again and said, "But this must go no further."

There was not many colleagues at the ball, only the most trusted and respected, and Bulma knew the information would not go any further- _thank kami,_ she thought- but she also knew it would not be ignored, and as the crowd turned to stare at Vegeta, she wanted nothing more than to reach over and throttle her father. She started when she saw Vegeta had already disappeared and sent her father such a deathly glare that he immediately stuttered out, "Err. Well, I think that is enough for tonight. Please continue to enjoy the night, but let us forget about business for a while!"

Bulma bit her lip worriedly and rushed off the stage, smiling as politely as she could manage at all the scientists, her eyes darting all over for the no doubt fuming Prince.

_Oh Daddy, what were you thinking? Vegeta's going to be furious- he hates people trying to faff around him and analyse him! Kami, he's probably going to blow up the Chamber in a grump! _She glanced around again and saw the doorway leading to the balcony slightly ajar and she rushed over, pausing at the door before pushing through determinedly- _I'm not scared of Vegeta-_ and shutting it behind her lightly. She saw him the moment she turned around. He was sat on the balcony ledge, his jacket and tie strewn across the floor, head turned up to the sky and his face set stonily. He noticed her right away, but he did not move or acknowledge her.

Bulma bit her lip and glanced up at the sky. _I wonder if he's thinking about it- his lost planet. His lost __kingdom__. _She moved towards him hesitantly and hovered nearby, gradually shuffling closer as he made no movement to push her away or leave. She eventually got a mere inch away from him, and she opened her mouth to say sorry, or _anything_, but the words wouldn't come, so she reached forward, heart thumping wildly, hands trembling, before taking his dangling right hand in hers.

Vegeta did not move still, so Bulma pressed closer, and slid her other hand to his shoulder and clutched at it slightly, in an act of desire, empathy and apology.

This time Vegeta turned his head to hers, his dark eyes showcasing a thunderstorm of emotions, and he tilted his whole body towards her, eyes locked on her face.

And still trembling, Bulma tiptoed up and kissed him softly on the mouth, leaning into his chest, her heartbeat seeming to skip, increase and stop all at once as he immediately returned her kiss, sliding off the railing to land on his feet in front of her and wrapping his arms around her in one swift movement.

Bulma melted against him, her mouth opening under his as his tongue sought entrance, and he kissed her fiercely, before suddenly pulling away and twirling her around, pressing her stomach against the railing and squashing her there with his own body. Breathless, confused and dizzy with emotion, she tilted her head up to his quizzically, and saw his gaze locked on something in the sky again. She followed his gaze curiously and after a moment of silence, he slipped his arms around her waist, held her tightly and said quietly and gruffly, "Behind that bright star just ahead…that's where Vegetasai's moon was, and just beyond that," he paused, "was Vegetasai."

Bulma's heart lurched and she turned into him, trying to contain the gasp of desire as she wedged herself between him and the railings, before leaning up to kiss him again.

* * *

**I've updated both these chapters in one go to make up for you having to wait so long for them! :D next chapter will be up soon i promise! **

**Keep reviewing please! THANKS X**


	12. Under the Cover of Darkness

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Twelve: Under the Cover of Darkness**

'_You are the one, _

_You'll never be alone again._

_You're more than in my head,_

_You're more.'_

Shiny Toy Guns: _You Are The One_

* * *

Vegeta kissed Bulma back fiercely, anger and desire mixed together; pumping through his veins. He was furious at her father for pointing him out so obviously, and he had just managed to leave- he hadn't bothered to question _why_ yet- before he killed the bunch of them on the spot. Then _she_ had followed him, practically wafting the scent of sex at him and pressed her soft curves and soft lips against him and he had given in. Memories of Vegetasai, his father, his intense desire to destroy Frieza had somehow dissipated into a boiling pit of lust, and some strange, previously untouched, part of him wanted Bulma to realise it all…his loss, his desperation, his… _anger_. He felt a sudden burst of fury that seemed to take over his control and he shoved her back harshly, not even hearing her gasp of surprise, and squashed her against him even tighter, roughly grabbing her hip with one hand and her nape with the other, pulling her head back so she was forced to look up at him, her neck and most of her chest exposed. He growled at her, baring his teeth, a sudden desire to crush anything in his path clouding his mind.

Bulma tried to catch her breath, her heart still pumping madly, and she stared back at him in confusion and apprehension. He had gone- in few seconds- from almost emotional to rough and fierce. He was staring at her intently, but something suddenly seemed different about him- his face seemed harder set than before, his eyes seemed to dance manically, his lips seemed so cruel and angry. She felt- for the first time in a long time- a tiny swell of panic as he pressed further into her, and his hands seemed to heat up, and she realised, her panic spiralling, that he was actually powering up. She was too stunned to speak, and she struggled silently in his grip, but he did not move and she realised he wasn't even looking at her, he was just staring in her direction, not taking her in, too suddenly engrossed in his fury to acknowledge her properly.

"Vegeta!" she cried out suddenly, as his hands started to burn against her skin. He let her go, startled, and then with a frightening twist of his mouth, flung her away from him. Bulma stumbled back a few steps and stared at him, her mouth agape, eyes welling with frightened tears.

"You will not speak of this again." His voice was like ice and Bulma stepped back, completely, utterly confused and hurt and unable - in the slightest - to figure out what the hell had happened to him. "Get out of here." He turned his face to hers and in the shining moonlight he looked demonic. Bulma scampered away, her heart now skittering out of fear, and she pulled the long skirt of her dress about her knees and fled from the balcony and the hall.

* * *

Bulma curled up in her bed and finally – after a hasty undressing and wash- allowed herself to think back to the balcony. She tried to pinpoint a moment, _anything_, that could have caused Vegeta to go from almost affectionate and sharing to the frightening, almost bestial bomb of fury. She shuddered slightly as she remembered his eyes- _I swear I saw a flash of red. He looked like a demon._ She stared out at the full moon and pulled her covers about her with a shudder. _Oh kami, what the heck just happened to him?_

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the rain and Bulma let a small, sad smile cross her lips as a rainbow appeared in the sky. She wished briefly that she still believed it was magic, rather than the light shining through the raindrops, that caused the rainbow to appear. She leant back into her pillow and for what seemed like the millionth time that morning she thought over what had happened with Vegeta the night before. She clutched her mug between her hands tighter and frowned. _What the hell happened? Something triggered him…he just seemed to just lose it suddenly._ She remembered leaning up to kissing him, remembered the feeling of being in his arms, of looking up at the half-covered full moon, and she sighed, before letting out a shudder as she remembered how nastily he had had pushed her away, the moon having come out from behind the clouds to spotlight on him eerily…

_Oh shit! That's it! The full moon! The moment it came out from behind the clouds his body must have been triggered into the Oozaru form! That's why he was so- well not emotional but near enough- and then went to Mr. Fucking Furious! _She sat bolt right up and clapped a hand to her head. _Heck, I can't believe I didn't realise that sooner! Gosh_, she thought back to when Goku used to transform and how dangerous he was,_ I guess since his tail was cut off it won't make him transform, but it obviously still has some sort of effect…I wonder if he's ok?_

She scrambled out of bed and headed for her shower, determined to check up on him. _It wasn't his fault after all, he can't control the effect it has on him…besides; before all that things were going great…he hugged me. He __needed__ me, and he wanted me. _

* * *

Vegeta woke with a sudden grunt and looked around the room, startled and confused. He frowned when he saw the sun shining and glanced at the clock on his bedside table…it was 9.00am, which was well past his normal wake up time. He scowled and sat up quickly, groaning when his head seemed to spin wildly. He closed his eyes briefly. _What the fuck…?_ Then he remembered it had been a full moon the night before, and he scowled again and stood up suddenly. He couldn't remember much of the night before, the full moon- despite not having a tail- still messed with his mind a fair bit and his memory was hazy except the detail of feeling extremely pissed off. He vaguely remembered going to the Briefs' ball. _What rubbish. I don't need to waste my time remembering what was no doubt a completely idiotic night. I need to get on with my training._ He clambered into his training gear and headed for the Gravity Chamber, deciding to eat one of the few ready made meals in there rather than stop for breakfast with Bulma. _No doubt she'll just delay me further_. He briefly wondered if he had hurt anyone last night, or hurt her, and felt a tiny trickle of panic in his stomach.

* * *

The day seemed to fly by. Bulma had gone in another desperate search for Vegeta, but seeing the flashes of numerous ki balls from the Gravity Chamber she decided against it. She headed to her lab and spent the day working on the destroyed bot, scanning it over and over for any signs of what exactly set it off. She was looking through her father's notes when she spotted an equation that seemed slightly off. She couldn't work out what was wrong with it- since, technically it wasn't _wrong_- it just seemed odd, the formula wasn't one she was used to and she wondered why her father had used it.

She frowned as she noticed the reflection of the setting sun in her computer screen and – after marking the page she was on and saving her data- she shut it down and headed for the dinner hall, her mind too full of sums and stats to even notice Vegeta sat at the table as she walked into the kitchen and begun to make herself a cup of coffee.

"Playing around in your lab again?"

Bulma started, and spilt coffee on her hand, "Shit. Ow!" She spun around and spotted Vegeta, raising an eyebrow archly. She felt like she hadn't seen him in years and he was some sort of ex-boyfriend she would never forget._ Does he even care about last night? _She stared at him silently, before turning to run her hand under the cold water tap, trying desperately to sort out her frantically whirring mind. Questions were spinning around her head- _Should I say something? Should I ignore him? Should I pretend nothing happened?_ She kept her hand under the tap and said nothing.

Vegeta watched her for a while, his curiosity growing with his irritation. _Why is she ignoring me? Why is she so tense?_ "The ball was ridiculous." His voice was laced with disgust, but it was mostly to bait her. She lost her temper easily and he wanted to get her speaking.

Bulma's temper- predictably- flared. "You asshole! You could have hurt me last night! And you haven't even apologised!" she spun around and glared at him.

Vegeta said nothing. _How could I have hurt her? What is she talking about? _He tried to sift through his foggy memory but nothing sprung to mind.

Bulma's eyes narrowed, "What the hell was your problem?!" _Why are you yelling? You know he couldn't control it! It's not like he did it on purpose!_

Vegeta stared back at her, and her blue eyes locked on his dark ones, the former filled with confusion and hurt. His eyes flickered for a moment, not long enough to show the remorse he suddenly felt, but Bulma seemed to know he did anyway. She tore her eyes away and sipped at her coffee.

"Don't you remember?" she whispered softly, looking up at him again, her face and eyes now kind and curious.

Vegeta scowled. "What nonsense are you talking about now?" he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"The moon affected you, didn't it? That's why you told me those things, and then…" she trailed off and looked into her mug.

_How does she know about that? Does it still affect Kakarot? Did I hurt her? What the fuck happened? Why does it still affect me? I want my memory back!_ He let out an angry growl, annoyed he couldn't even _remember_ most of the night.

Bulma glanced up as the noise rumbled from his throat, "You didn't hurt me. You just, well," she chuckled lightly and Vegeta stared at her, "you caught me off guard. You were very rude actually." She added primly and the indignant look on her face caused Vegeta to let out a snort of dry amusement.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you woman."

This time, Bulma grinned, "I'm sure I am." She turned back around and poured the remnants of her coffee in the sink. "I'm calling a take-out tonight. What do you want?"

"You're not cooking?" Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest again, this time petulantly.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "I've had a long day. And I'm not your damn maid. If you don't want take-out, cook for yourself." She picked up the phone and dialled the number of her favourite restaurant, delighting in her celebrity and charm that allowed her to sweet-talk such exclusive places to deliver to her door_. I can get everything I want._ Vegeta scowled at she tossed the menu at him. _Including you buddy. _

* * *

Vegeta grunted as Bulma bid him goodnight, and stalked straight off towards his bedroom, ignoring the desire to turn back and take her right on the hallway floor. His senses were still askew and heightened because of the moon, and he swore her smell was ingrained in his nostrils, tantalising him and arousing him to such an extent that he could barely control the erection threatening to burst loose. He undressed and climbed into his bed, glaring at the moon. _For fuck's sake. I bet Kakarot doesn't have this problem…_he snorted_…that's because Kakarot is too fucking idiotic to even feel desire, how his woman ever got him down to have that moronic child I'll never know._ His mind instantly flashed up an image of Bulma. _Well he doesn't have __her__ hovering around all the time. He hasn't had her breasts pushed against him, he hasn't tasted her lips, he hasn't touched her_…suddenly Vegeta's mind reeled off an image of Goku and Bulma together and his stomach twisted with rage. _Has__ he touched her? If he has it just gives me more reasons to kill the clown._ He growled aloud, _that is the most disgusting thing imaginable- Kakarot touching her. Or even the weakling laying his hands on her._ His stomach twisted violently again and he involuntarily ripped his pillow. He knew that Yamcha and Bulma would have had sex, but the thought actually made his blood boil, and he wanted nothing more than to kill Yamcha and then demand to know if Bulma had ever been with Goku. If so, well, he'd kill him too, then he'd show her _exactly_ who should be touching her, tasting her…the thought of her taste got his erection springing up and his mind wandered, fantasies of Bulma sending his control to hell as he curled a hand around himself and pumped his fist up and down, all the while images of Bulma burned into his mind.

* * *

Bulma woke up suddenly, sweating and scared, and she gasped out as she struggled to get out of her quilt. She squinted into the darkness and sucked in a big, long breath, trying to calm her nerves. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, the nightmare she'd been having came back to her.

_Vegeta was encased in flames, his eyes wide in anguish as Bulma stood, horrified, frozen to the spot. He let out a roar of pain that shook her to her core, and she leapt forward, the flames scorching her skin as she tried to reach him, save him, pull him free. But as she was nearing the flames leapt up wildly and something was pulling her back. She screamed as almost all of Vegeta's body burned and then all she could see was smoke and all she could smell was burning and all she could hear were Vegeta's roars. _

Bulma choked back a sob and flicked on her lamp, shakily wiping her brow. She climbed out of bed and sucked in more long breaths. _It was just a nightmare. Get a grip Bulma._

She straightened out her silky slip, and padded across the cool wooden floor, slipping quietly out of her bedroom and into the hallway, making for the kitchen to get a glass of water. She was nearing the stairs when a resounding groan echoed throughout the hallway. Startled, she spun around on the spot, eye wide and alert, her heart racing. Moments later, the sound came again and Bulma froze and strained her ears, before realising that it was coming from Vegeta's room. Her horrible nightmare still fresh in her mind, she bolted to his door, and pushed it open- momentarily surprised it was actually unlocked- and almost tumbled through in her haste. A gruff grunt came from his bed, and she froze hesitantly, suddenly realising her stupidity. _Oh you loon Bulma, he's fine, he's just sleeping._ But he grunted again and tossed in his bed, and curiosity gripped her. She tiptoed to his bed, jumping away a little as he thrashed around violently and she realised he was having a nightmare. She watched silently as he continued to move and groan, and her hand reached out, as if of it's own accord, to placate him in some way when he seemed to sense someone there, and he sat bolt upright, hand at her throat and rolling her over to pin her on the bed quicker than she could even get out a gasp of surprise.

"What the hell are you doing woman? I could have just blasted you into infinity." He growled, his eyes glinting furiously, his grip loosening at her throat but not entirely falling away.

Bulma stared back at him, still surprised, but also aware of his body pressing into her, and she gazed back, mesmerised by his onyx, hot gaze.

Vegeta stared back, waiting for an answer, when she swallowed and he felt the movement down her throat and her chest and he realised he had her pressed into bed. He felt strangely breathless as she gazed up at him, her red lips parted, and her breath a soft whisper on his face, and becoming uncomfortably aware of her soft curves under him, he sat up and moved away so quickly it was as if she had hurt him. _Ha, as if, the woman couldn't get a touch on me._ He sneered derisively, but his stomach still fluttered strangely.

Bulma sat up slowly, still slightly breathless, and he turned his head to her as she perched up next to him, feeling as if his intent gaze was leaving a trail of fire across her skin. She stayed silent and he looked away, and she felt the sudden urge to wrap her arms around him. And again, as if of their own accord, her hand rose up and she curled her fingers over his broad shoulder, as her other arm slid across his bare torso and she curled into his side, pressing her cheek to the side of his neck, a hiss of delight escaping from her lips as her palm pressed flat against his stomach.

Vegeta started slightly at her touch and bristled at the thought that she had caught him off guard- _again_- but he didn't move away, and slightly shaking, but heartened, Bulma sat up, curling into him tighter and pressing herself against his side wordlessly. Vegeta froze. She was wrapped around him again and his body tingled and seemed to electrify with desire. He stayed still, determined to control himself, but then she let out a little sigh, his name, "Vegeta," slipping through her lips so alluringly, that he couldn't even try to stop his body from turning into her, or stop his arms from encircling her waist, hoisting her up and plonking her in his lap, so her legs wrapped round his waist and she was face to face with him.

* * *

**MWAHAHAHA. Cliff-hanger. I hope you like it?! Review and review and review please?! :D Thanks a ton. **

**Just a warning: the next chapter is going to be an NC-17 + rating so if you don't like things that graphic then I'm sorry but you might want to skip the chapter!**

**XXXX**


	13. Hot as a Fever, Burning like Fire

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Thirteen: Hot as a Fever, Burning like Fire**

'_If it's not forever,  
If it's just tonight,  
Oh it's still the greatest,  
The greatest,  
The greatest._

_And you,  
Your sex is on fire._

_You,  
Your sex is on fire.  
Consumed,  
With what's to transpire.'_

Kings of Leon; _Sex on Fire_

* * *

Bulma stared down at Vegeta, her eyes both glimmering with some emotion he couldn't place and darkening with desire, and with a strange sense of triumph and lust bursting inside him he pulled her head to his and captured her lips with his own.

She seemed to both melt against him pliantly and seize him to her passionately at once. Her almost desperate return of his kiss increased his desire tenfold and he gripped at her hips and thighs, their tongues clashing together and sending fireworks of lust spiralling through them both. Bulma wriggled in his lap, trying to get as close to him as possible and he growled into her mouth as her breasts pressed tightly against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fervently; too dizzy to even think about how well she fit in his arms, how amazing it felt to kiss him, how _right_ it felt to be curled about him so tightly.

Vegeta, desire coursing through him, his senses overwhelmed by her, and his control overwhelmed by his senses, kissed her back with a desperation he ignored and aware of his increasingly obvious arousal, he pulled his mouth from hers and trailed hot kisses down her neck, latching onto a spot above her collarbone and deftly rolling over so she was trapped beneath him, their legs entangled and bodies pressed tightly together.

Bulma groaned as his lips left a burning trail across her skin and she arched up to him, eyes widening and a gasp escaping her mouth as she felt his erection press into her thigh urgently. Her whole body seemed to ache for him, her mouth dried, and she wanted- more than ever- to taste him, touch him, feel him inside her, and she suddenly realised what was about to happen if she let it. _If we do this now, I won't be able to ever let you go Vegeta. If we do this, I know I'll be yours forever. This isn't just lust for me, and I'll be damned if that's all I let it be for you._ Her heart trembled in her chest, her body buzzing as his hand trailed from her hips to her thighs, and he paused just a moment, lips hovering above hers once more, eyes boring into hers, and then his fingers grazed her inside thigh so gently that she made her decision right there and she arched up, kissing him fiercely and parting her thighs invitingly.

And that was all it took for Vegeta's tiny remaining grip on his control to disappear completely and he kissed her back, delighting in her gasps as he brushed his fingers against her clit- which he smugly found already hot, wet and swollen – pulling away from her mouth to watch her as he plunged his fingers into her and she gasped out again, her head lolling back and mouth parting as his thumb brushed her clit and his fingers moved inside her continuously.

"Vegeta," Bulma moaned aloud, and he leant down again, smirking as she gasped his name against his lips, feeling possessiveness, desire and triumph swarm him as she arched into him, and he could feel her energy level peaking as she begun to orgasm, her body shaking slightly and her mouth opening wider, her breasts pressing into him as she finally thrashed on the bed, a loud moan echoing around the room.

He withdrew his fingers from her and Bulma's eyes fluttered open, the irises dark with desire and a sated, seductive smile playing on her lips. She slid her hand down his torso, revelling in the hard, hot muscle under her fingers, and she slid her hand into his shorts, her fingers grazing his erection, causing him to grunt quietly as she wrapped her hand around him. Vegeta grunted again as she squeezed firmly and he gripped her hips and pulled them both upright, so they were sat on their knees, facing each other. Bulma's face was mere inches from his and she closed her eyes and bit her lip, before pumping her fist up and down quickly, her other hand snaking down from his stomach to gently fondle his balls. Vegeta groaned and his hips moved into her touch, his eyes closing as Bulma continued the motions. _Fucking hell. This feels amazing…her hand wrapped around me so tight and warm…I just want to be inside her_…with a fierce and sudden growl, Vegeta grabbed her wrists with one hand and held them above her head, using his other hand to swiftly pull her silk slip over her head, baring her to him completely. He pushed her down to the bed and flung her slip over his shoulder, tearing off his own shorts and grabbing her ankles, tugging her legs apart and driving into her with an animalistic groan. Bulma gasped out as he drove into her, and immediately locked her legs around his waist, her breasts arching up off the bed as he begun moving within her. His hands slid up her tiny waist to palm at her breasts, and she arched up still, moving her hips to meet his thrusts. Bulma gripped at his shoulders as he seemed to ram into her with a rough fervour, and she responded eagerly, gasping and moaning as she begun to feel her second orgasm rippling through her body. She spasmed around him, and Vegeta groaned aloud, tearing his hands from her breasts to pull her up by her waist, so they were sat up again, folded together so tightly a breath couldn't pass between them. Bulma's head fell back again, exposing her neck and collarbone, moaning out "Vegeta," and her orgasm ripped his own from him, and desire and ebullience filled him, his entire being seemed to burst into flames as he bit down on her shoulder and came with a resounding growl.

Bulma gasped as his teeth suck into her shoulder as if he was branding her, drawing a little blood and definately leaving a mark and she shivered with pleasure, before falling back, and Vegeta fell to the bed with her, their legs tangled and sweat shining across their skin.

* * *

As she caught her breath and calmed herself down, Bulma knew there was no going back. Ever since she'd resolved to befriend Vegeta she had found herself becoming attracted to him, and now, her heart hammered in her chest, she knew that what she felt for him went beyond that. It was stronger than what she had imagined, and fear gripped her stomach as she glanced over at him. _I'm completely his now, and he probably doesn't care. _

* * *

Vegeta frowned against his pillow and willed his body and emotions to calm down. _You are the Saiyan Prince. You are not a pathetic earthling male who cannot control his own desires and wants. You've had your way with her, got her out of your system, now tell her to bugger off and leave you alone. You're done here. _

He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, fury swelling in his stomach as he couldn't seem to get the words out of his mouth. _Tell her to piss off. You're finished with her, she's nothing more than an earthling slut…she's nothing to you. Nothing!_ But he couldn't get his tongue to form the words, and he stayed sullenly silent, opening his eyes curiously as he felt Bulma roll onto her side and sit up.

* * *

Bulma sat up and gazed at Vegeta silently as he opened his eyes and glared back at her. She leant down quietly, determination filling her as he stayed stubbornly still and silent. _Oh don't you get all arsy on me buddy. We've done this together and now you've got to deal with it. I know I'm more to you than just a quick shag._ She kissed him lingeringly on the lips, before getting up to move away. _But I'll leave you to dwell on that for now. _

Then, out of nowhere, completely of its own instinctual accord, Vegeta's arm shot out and his hand encircled her wrist, tugging her back down next to him.

"Vegeta…" Bulma breathed, confusion and hesitant delight coursing through her as his grip tightened around her.

"Be quiet woman." He said gruffly, but he held her against him tightly and Bulma couldn't help but grin to herself and lean into him, her heart threatening to burst in her chest.

Vegeta stayed silent and still and shut his eyes. _For one night only...This is the last time you will ever do anything so pathetic. You will not lose control again, _he thought firmly, angry at his own inability to control himself but filled with a sense of satisfaction and contentment that overwhelmed even his stubborn Saiyan pride.

* * *

**A short chapter I know, but I wanted that whole scene to speak alone! I'm sorry if you found it too graphic or whatnot (I did warn you though!) Let me know what you think, your reviews are always so great, the more the merrier! Seriously, getting a review just makes my day! **

**THANKS A TON! XXXXX**


	14. The Morning After The Night Before

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Fourteen: The Morning After the Night Before**

'_Am I in too deep?  
Have I lost my mind?  
__I don't care,  
__you're here tonight.'_

Enrique Iglesias: _Hero_

* * *

Vegeta woke up with a grunt as the sunlight streamed through the French balcony doors. He blinked dazedly and started when he became aware of his surroundings. A warm, soft skinned body was curled into his, and he remembered the night before with a fierce clarity. He gazed down at Bulma and slid out of the bed quickly and quietly, before heading into his bathroom to shower and change.

When he came out, Bulma was sat up in the bed, and Vegeta's gut lurched as she smiled hesitantly, the white sheet pulled up to her chest, her hair mussed and her lips deliciously red. Desire flooded him and he wanted nothing more than to take her again, but he shook it off and stared back at her stonily.

"Morning. I guess you're off to train already. Although you did have a good work-out last night. " Bulma said, raising an eyebrow and smiling teasingly.

Vegeta scowled. _Damn woman, always so bloody cheeky. _"Yes. I'm going to so something useful with my time." He pulled his shirt over his head and Bulma snorted.

"Right, and me spending my time fixing your damn machine and inventing things that benefit the world is just total nonsense huh?"

Vegeta sneered, "Your machines aren't going to beat those androids. I'll be doing that."

Bulma chuckled, "Of course you will."

Vegeta froze and glared at her, "What does that mean exactly?"

"Jeez! It means I think you will…can't you take a compliment?!" Bulma cried, exasperated but pleased as a blush tinged his cheeks.

Vegeta stared at her, a strange sense of pride filling him, narrowing his eyes as she smiled back chirpily. _Why should I care if she thinks that? She doesn't know what she's talking about…still it's good to know she's not completely stupid._

"Anyway, you're going to have to be more careful these days. I still haven't figured out what's wrong with that bot and I don't want to be replacing anything till we've sorted it all out." Bulma said airily, waving a hand in the air as she talked, before gasping and blushing as the sheet slipped down her chest. She gathered it back up and stared determinedly back at Vegeta, who smirked and raised an eyebrow coolly.

"Fine. But make sure you get it done."

"Yes your Majesty." Bulma rolled her eyes.

Vegeta's smirk widened, "It's good to know you've finally recognised your place."

Bulma's eyes bulged and she gaped indignantly. _What a cheeky git! 'Recognised my place' Eugh! Egotistical bastard!_

Vegeta chuckled darkly as Bulma floundered in front of him, "Now do as you're told and get on with your work woman." He turned to leave the room, smirking as she glared at him furiously. _What an absolute ape! 'Do as you're told'?! Jeez, I want to throttle him sometimes!_

He paused suddenly in the doorway and looked back at her impassively.

"Be here tonight." Then he was gone.

Bulma stared after him, her mental rant forgotten completely as she sat, stunned. _Be here tonight?... Oh my gosh! He wants me here tonight! _She let out a giddy giggle and snuggled into the bed, pressing her face into the pillow as she broke out into a bright grin.

* * *

Bulma got showered and dressed not long after Vegeta had left, but she took longer than usual as she couldn't help but pause and reminisce of the night before…all she could focus on was remembering how it had felt having his hands on her, his lips on hers…she shook herself and focused on mentally planning her day, trying to ignore her skittering heart, but as she reached the kitchen and grabbed some fruit and coffee she couldn't help but wonder where she stood with the stubborn Saiyan Prince. _It's going to be so difficult with him…am I even __with__ him anyway? He was so passionate last night, and he invited…no, wait, __demanded__, me over tonight…so that's progress_…she sighed and logged herself into her lab…_But he'll never get too close, he'll never totally let me in…but I am getting under his skin, literally,_ she grinned, _and I'm going to burrow my way in as far as I can. _

She tied her hair up in a messy bun and began to skim through the old research files she had gotten a hold of the day before, in the hope one of them might show her what happened with the bot. She had just taken a bite of a banana when one of them caught her attention. She swallowed her bite and read it avidly.

'_Dr. Gero – ex junior CEO of Capsule Corp. _

_Most notable for achievements in Artificial Intelligence developments._

_Disbanded from company for private research.'_

Bulma put the file down and sat silent and surprised. Gero had worked for Capsule Corp? Why hadn't her father told her? Why hadn't she known this before? She re-read the paragraph – _Most notable for achievements in Artificial Intelligence developments- _and couldn't quite believe it._ He worked here? Why didn't I know this already?! _She frowned before being struck with an idea. _But this is great! It means I can access his old notes and files…I could find out all the work he did on the Red Ribbon Army and see if I can figure out where he's going with these new androids!_

She felt a surge of determination and remembered her idea to stop Gero from completing the androids in the first place. She remembered Goku's adamantly noble reaction (_We can't do that! He might not even do anything in our time_!) and Vegeta's derisive response (_Are you scared of these androids? What nonsense. I'll defeat them easily myself._) She shook her head in annoyance. _Honestly, neither of them have a clue. Why can't we stop anything from happening? This could save people's lives…those idiot Saiyans just want another fight and the rest are too damn in love with Goku to do anything but what he says! He's doing it out of blind nobility, and as usual everyone is following him! Well, stuff that. If I can find a way to stop Gero before anyone gets hurt then I'm going to do my best!_ She picked up the file and turned on her computer, ready to research as much as she could about Gero.

* * *

"Woman!" Vegeta shouted into the kitchen, looking around for Bulma and letting out a low growl when he found it empty- just like he had found the lounge, her bedroom, his bedroom, her lab…_Where the hell is that bloody lunatic? She said she'd be working in her lab…no doubt she's just wasted her entire day spending ridiculous amounts of money. _"WOMAN!"

"No need to shout Vegeta, I'm right here." Bulma grinned at him winningly from the doorway and he spun around and glared at her.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly.

"Aw," Bulma slunk towards him like a cat, a seductive smile playing on her lips, "Did you miss me?" She kissed his cheek and winked, before wandering off, leaving Vegeta to gape after her.

_What an arrogant lunatic. Miss her? Why would I miss her?! _He scowled and strode back to the Gravity Chamber, having totally forgotten the fact he had been looking for her in the first place.

* * *

Bulma sniggered to herself as she returned to her lab, and pulled the memory stick from out of her sleeve. _Bulma, you really are one hell of a woman_…she grinned to herself at how easily she had distracted Vegeta…_Although he'll make me pay for that later._ She grinned wider at the thought, _but I don't think I'll mind that too much._

She giggled again and then shook herself. _Come on Bulma, back to work. This is important stuff…_

She slid the memory stick into her computer and downloaded the files in seconds, before scrolling through the file names to see if anything matched what she was looking for. After what seemed like dozens of files she finally spotted one labelled _'Gero. RRA.' _and she clicked it open straightaway, gasping out as she saw the entire basic lay-out for the Red Ribbon Army. She read through them avidly, before pausing again when she noticed a familiar string of numerical codes_. What the heck…?_ She read through them and then scrambles for her notes on the bot, letting out another horrified gasp when she realised that the basic stats that were used on most of Capsule Corp's bots were the same ones that Gero had invented for his Red Ribbon Army. _Oh my gosh, this is awful! I have to tell Dad straightaway!_

* * *

Bulma didn't leave her father's laboratory till nine o'clock that night, and she headed straight to her room to change, her mind full of hers and her father's discoveries. _I can't believe that our new stat system for the bot's hard drives was based on Gero's work and no-one even clicked! No wonder that bot developed a mind of its own, the upload system was far too advanced for it!_ She sighed and sat down, pulling her boots off and shoving them under her bed lazily. _Although at least I know how to re-programme everything now, but it's going to be one hell of a job- I'll have to do the whole system…and another good thing to come of this- that fact that I might be able to see how these new Androids are going to develop and what sort of weaknesses they'll have. _

She stood up and begun to pull her tank top over her head when a thud on her balcony startled her, and with her top half covering her face she spun around, losing her balance with a cry and falling against something hard. She wriggled in her captor's grip before a gruff "Stop it," let her know it was Vegeta and she stopped straightaway, opening her mouth to speak but instead gasping as his hands slid up her bare waist to rip the top over her head roughly, and before Bulma could even move her arms or anything to respond, he had captured her lips with his own and slammed her up against the wall.

She let out a muffled squeak into his mouth as her back hit the wall with a thump, and then gasped again as Vegeta slunk his hands onto her shorts and pulled them down her legs, before sliding his hands under her thighs and practically tying them behind his back. Bulma immediately felt his erection pressing at her opening and she wriggled closer, groaning into his mouth as her entire world seemed to melt away around her as desire clouded her every thought.

He pulled away suddenly and stared down at her, his eyes flashing dangerously, and Bulma opened her mouth to speak again before he silenced her by plunging his fingers into her and smirking wickedly as she gasped and her eyes widened in surprise. He withdrew them just as quickly and within moments had slammed her against the wall, sheathing himself inside her with a low growl that sent shivers throughout Bulma's entire body. Vegeta dropped his head to her shoulder, his nose brushing the crook of her neck, before he pulled out again, his body raging with the desire that had been building up inside of him all day, and he grabbed her hips and stared at her again, searching her lively, blue eyes, sensing the desire, the want, the _trust_ in them and with a surge of pleasure, he pulled her off the wall briefly, before slamming back into her and back against the wall, crushing his lips to hers in demanding, bruising, passionate kiss that made Bulma's heart twist and lurch in her chest.

* * *

Bulma slumped against Vegeta's chest with a low moan as the remnants of her orgasm rippled through her, and faintly realised- with a contented smile- he was carrying her to the bed. He set her down roughly- as expected- and stared down at her.

Bulma opened her eyes and stared back up at him, trying to read his impassively set face, before stretching out a hand to grab his forearm and sitting up. "Vegeta," she paused as he stayed silent and still, and leant up and kissed him softly and lingeringly, trailing her arms up to his neck and arching up off the bed to lean into him seductively.

Vegeta, still slightly dazed with desire, but again annoyed at his own inability to pull himself away from her, felt his arms move up to grab at her waist, "What are you doing woman?" he growled, scowling even as he let her pull him down to the bed. _What the fuck are you doing? You've had your fill, get out of here, you're not her bed partner, she is a necessity- something only to fulfil your needs. _

Bulma kissed down his neck and up to his ear, smoothing her hands over his tight shoulders and whispered, "Vegeta, come to bed." There was a stony pause where Bulma's every fibre in her body skittered nervously. _Oh come on Vegeta, you want to. You want me, us. You're here, aren't you? You can't leave me now. _She realised with a sudden lurch in her stomach quite how invested she was in the Saiyan Prince, and as he leant down further she felt like she had won the Nobel Peace Prize ten times over.

And every atom in his body seemed to conflict as he leant against the headboard and closed his eyes as Bulma's tongue flicked deftly over his earlobe. _Have you lost your mind? LEAVE! You are not attached to the damn woman_…but all thought fled completely as Bulma straddled him, leant down so her breasts were hanging enticingly in front of his face and slid her hands down his muscled torso with a grin that was smugger than a cat who had got the cream.

* * *

**Hello again- god i'm so sorry i'm taking so long to update these days, and the chapters aren't as long as they once were...i've got so much work on at college at the mo i'm hardly getting any time to write any more! I definately still intend to do this story though, so please bare with me with the slighlty longer waits- each chapter probably will be a week in the making now i'm afraid!**

**But Oh My Gosh, the reviews for Chapter 13 were brilliant! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it so much and i hope you will continue to leave reviews and make my days! You are all the best! I know this chapter was a bit slow, but i am getting more on the ball again soon enough, and i hope you all stick with me :D THANK YOU XXXXX**


	15. Plan of Attack

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Fifteen: Plan of Attack**

'_They don't know,  
They can't see,  
Who we are.'_

Tatu: _All About Us_

* * *

Weeks had passed since Bulma had first spent the night with Vegeta, and she was delighted that it had become somewhat of a routine. Vegeta came into her room every night after dinner, and stayed until he woke in the morning for his training. Bulma was stunned by the Saiyan's easiness with her. They never spoke of what was happening between them, but Bulma knew that he felt something for her. She knew he desired her, he never tired of her body, and even the thought of sex with him had her shivering. But she knew it was more than that too; he held her in his sleep, and his bickering was more often than not tilted with amusement, and perhaps even affection.

"And he's just so different with me Chi-Chi!" Bulma finished, feeling a bizarre mixture of relief and pride, as she finally told someone about her developing relationship with Vegeta.

Chi-Chi stayed silent for quite a while, and Bulma frowned. The only noise Chi-Chi had made since Bulma first admitted that she fancied Vegeta was a loud, disbelieving squawk, and as Bulma had developed the story, the silence had gotten stonier and stonier.

After a few moments of twirling the phone cord round her fingers, Bulma said, "Chi-Chi…look, don't stress out on me about this ok? I'm happy. Things are good, they're great…"

At last Chi-Chi got her voice back and interrupted, "Well that's all very well Bulma, but for how long will you be happy? We're talking about Vegeta after all. He's a cold-hearted murderer. And by the sounds of it, he's only after you for the sex."

Bulma scowled. "That's not true! And even if it was, so what? I have needs too you know! There is such a thing as female sexuality Chi-Chi. And besides, Vegeta is not a murderer. He's changed. He's training to defeat the androids now! He's on our side!"

"He's not on our side! He's just training to fight them so he can try and beat Goku again! Honestly, Bulma, I can't believe that such a smart girl like you could be so stupid. Vegeta doesn't love you and he never will. He's not capable of love. Not like my Goku." Chi-Chi ended her rant with a smugness that sent Bulma's temper spiralling.

"Right, because Goku is so perfect?! Can you not remember how many times he's left you to go fighting? Or how many times he's left you for an adventure with me, whilst you sat at home?! Maybe you don't want to admit that Vegeta and I could have something special because then you'll have to have a good hard look at your marriage when you get us so wrong." She slammed the phone down with a loud huff and glared at it for a few minutes after, Chi-Chi's words reverberating around her skull.

'_He's only after you for the sex'…'He's not capable of love'…'Vegeta doesn't love you and he never will._' With an aggravated scream, Bulma picked up the phone and chucked it at the wall, watching with bitter satisfaction as it smashed with a crash.

* * *

Bulma sat at her lab, hours later, still staring gloomily at her laptop screen, her fingers still hovering over the keys, and she realised with a huff of annoyance that she hadn't done any work since she had stormed in after her argument with Chi-Chi.

She winced slightly at the thought. _Kami, I was such a bitch! I basically came all out and said Goku didn't love her! _She dropped her head on the keyboard and let out a squawk as her laptop beeped angrily in response. _Oh heck, I should call and apologize_…she sat up and reached for the phone attached to her desk wall, before staring at it contemplatively. _Should I really? I mean, she started it. She doesn't even know anything about Vegeta and there she was- making me sound like some silly little slut! Eugh!_ She put the phone back on the hook and caught sight of a photo of Goku, herself, Yamcha and Krillin and her gut lurched with guilt_. I do need to apologize to Chi-Chi, and I should get in contact with the guys really…it's been far too long. _

* * *

Vegeta powered up with a ferocious roar and spread his arms about him, feeling the power emanating from him, before gathering up his energy and focusing on pushing it again and again. His body began to tingle as he notched it up again, and his muscles contracted painfully, but he continued to strain himself, shouting loudly as it felt as if his organs were on fire, and the flames were about to engulf him entirely.

"AHHHHHH!" he bellowed as his heart seemed to burst in his chest, and his muscles seemed to snap and melt away, and he sunk to the floor, his energy simmering quietly.

His entire body ached, and Vegeta realised he had still not become a Super-Saiyan. _For fuck's sake, what more do I need to do?! I'm pushing my body to the limits- I'm training all the time in a Gravity Chamber, I'm doing more than Kakarot could ever handle and I'm still not a Super-Saiyan!_ He punched the floor with a growl, and clenched his fists angrily. _I need a new challenge. I need something bigger, harder, and stronger to test me to my every limit. _He pushed himself to his feet, and slung a towel over his sweat covered shoulders, shutting down the machine to go in search of Bulma and find out about her progress with the new Gravity Chamber.

* * *

"Yamcha! Come on, that's ridiculous!" Bulma laughed down the phone, twirling the cord around her fingers and leaning back on her chair.

"It is not! She totally digs me!" Yamcha squawked indignantly, and Bulma giggled.

"Oh sure, because you are just so adept at understanding the female mind, huh?"

"Well not every girl is a complicated as you Bulma." Yamcha shot back a little grumpily, and Bulma could picture him pulling the face that resembled a sulking toddler.

"Firstly, I'm a woman, not a girl. And secondly, most women are just as complicated as each other...trust me Yamcha, that's not at all what she meant."

"Ok then Miss Know-It-All, what did she mean?" he was teasing her now, and Bulma grinned widely, stretching in her chair and putting the phone on loud-speaker, before standing up to get a coffee from the machine.

"Well, reading between the lines- she thinks you're cute. But she also thinks you're untrustworthy, arrogant and a bit of a player." Bulma said matter-of-factly, pouring a coffee and adding a little cream and sugar as Yamcha whooped in response. She rolled her eyes and stirred her coffee.

"So I've definitely got a chance?"

"It's going to be a lot of work, and knowing you, you'll only do it if you think she's definitely worth it…so is she?" Bulma sat back down at her desk, but left the phone on speaker so she could sip at her coffee still.

There was a long pause until Yamcha finally said, "I don't know…." There was another pause, and then he added, "I'm not over you," quietly and with a sad finality that pulled at Bulma's heartstrings.

"I'm not totally over you either." Bulma said, gazing at the picture on her desk fondly, and she was just about to carry on her sentence when a low growl broke into the silence.

"Pathetic."

Bulma spun around in her chair and saw Vegeta glowering in the doorway, and with a bubble of guilt she started up towards him.

"Get back to your ridiculous nostalgia woman." He snarled at her, his eyes glinting dangerously, and Bulma fell back into her chair as he stormed away.

"Was that Vegeta pissing you around as usual?" Yamcha asked testily, the Saiyan Prince still being somewhat of a sore spot to him.

Bulma nodded, and then shook her head, "No. I think it was bit of the other way around actually." She bit her lip and knew he must have heard what she had said bout not being over Yamcha. _Oh, you idiot Bulma. It's not even true. You are over Yamcha, you just miss him as a friend. And now Vegeta thinks you're a total cow._

"What's going on Bulma?" Yamcha asked.

Bulma turned to stare at the phone thoughtfully, before picking it up, switching off speaker-phone and said, "I've got a lot to fill you in on…"

* * *

Yamcha had just put his phone down when it rung loudly again, and he picked it up, still slightly dazed and said "Hello?"

"Yamcha! Finally! Who the hell have you been talking to for so long?!" Chi-Chi squawked down the phone and he winced a little.

"Bulma…"

"Oh you two are speaking again? Great! That means you will definitely be up for this! You will not believe what she's gone and done…"

"Vegeta." Yamcha interrupted shortly.

"Huh?"

"Are you talking about Vegeta?"

"She told you too?! Isn't it crazy?!"

"Crazy?" Yamcha snorted dryly, "It's absolutely insane Chi-Chi. You know what she even said to me? She said that she wasn't over me, and then blabbered on about how much she likes Vegeta and how he needs her, and all that sort of shit!"

Chi-Chi tutted, "She doesn't have a clue what she's talking about Yamcha. That's why we need to step in. We can't tell the others- they will just make things more complicated- but we need to get Bulma away from that jerk…"

"So we're staging an intervention?" Yamcha asked thoughtfully, his mind already whirling with ideas to make Bulma see how wrong for her Vegeta was.

"Exactly. So, you're in?" Chi-Chi lowered her voice slyly.

Yamcha paused for a moment, before Bulma's words _'I'm not totally over you' _echoed in his head, "I'm in." he said firmly.

* * *

"Vegeta! Open the damn door!" Bulma pummelled her fists on the Gravity Chamber door, and stomped her foot when the only response she got was another stubborn silence. "Oh for Kami's sake! Stop being such a stubborn git and open the damn door, before I lock the whole machine down!" There was another silence, "Fine! I'm locking it down!" she begun to type in the lock-down code on the door panel, and she could hear the machine's beeps from the inside, and she leant on the door with satisfaction as she ended the code, before the door slid open so suddenly, she lost her balance and tumbled in a heap at Vegeta's feet.

"Get up woman. You're not fit to even kiss my boots." He sneered immediately, stepping away from her with a disgust etched across his face.

Bulma sat up and glared at him, "Just because you're jealous you don't have to be a complete ass."

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous? If you're not over your pathetic weakling then that's your own problem. You don't mean anything to me." Vegeta growled, a cruel sneer still plastered across his face as Bulma pushed herself to her feet.

"Yes I do." She said simply, brushing down her knees and staring up at him defiantly.

"Don't fool yourself woman. You're nothing but a whore." Vegeta shoved past her and out of the Gravity Chamber.

Bulma glared after him, before spotting a spare pair of boots at the doorway, and she picked one up and hurled it at him, watching with satisfaction as it bounced off his shoulders and he stumbled slightly, before spinning around.

He looked murderous. Bulma stepped back slightly as he advanced back into the Gravity Chamber, his eyes darkening with every step closer he got. Bulma back-pedalled warily, before her bum hit the control panel and she froze on the spot.

Vegeta smirked cruelly and pinned his arms on either side of her head, "You're nothing." he pushed himself closer to her, and sneered again.

Bulma wasn't afraid of him, so she pushed back and smirked when he let out a little hiss as her hips and breasts grinded against him, "Nope." She whispered, leaning up to him and locking her eyes on his, "I'm definitely one hell of a something." She paused again and let her lips brush over his, "And I'm definitely all yours."

She stayed lingering against his lips, not touching him with any part of her body but letting her breasts, hands and lips hover just above his. _C'mon Vegeta. _She mentally willed him to give in, forgive her. And she was just about to pull dejectedly away when he snaked his hands to her hips and spun her around, pressing her between himself and the table. Both of their minds flashed back to the first time they kissed, and Bulma dropped her head and wriggled her hips into Vegeta's groin, and he smirked, before dropping his head and sinking his teeth into her bare shoulder again.

* * *

**Wow I'm so sorry I'm taking so long, I really am being snowed under with work, and I'm finding it hard to spare this a moment. But thank you for your patience and loyalty...all of your reviews are so great :D And I am looking forward to the Xmas hols when I have time to start spewing out chapters quickly again! Thanks for all your support...please continue to review and let me know what you think :D thanks! xxxxx**


	16. Me and My Heart Got Issues With You

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Sixteen: Me and My Heart Got Issues With You**

'_Trying hard not to hear  
But they talk so loud,  
Their piercing sounds fill my ears,  
Try to fill me with doubt,  
Yeah I know that their goal  
Is to keep me from falling.'_

Leona Lewis: _Bleeding Love_

**

* * *

**

"Hello?" Bulma answered her phone distractedly, shoving her files under her arm and trying to pin the phone to her ear with her shoulder whilst she grappled with the coffee machine.

"Bulma? Hi! How are you?"

"Krillin?! Is that you?!" Bulma cried back, surprised, before swearing under her breath as she spilt coffee down her hand and black sleeve. _Typical. On my bloody cashmere jumper. Eugh! _

"Surprised to hear from me?" Bulma could practically envision Krillin grinning down the phone.

"I am! But how weird, I was going to call you the other day! So, what's up?" Bulma sat down and shuffled her files around, looking for the one she needed before pulling it loose with a triumphant grin.

"That is weird! Obviously we're meant to meet up then! I was just calling to see if you wanted to catch up sometime"? Krillin asked cheerily, and Bulma was to busy taking a gulp of her drink to hear someone else murmuring in the background so she agreed readily and they set a date.

* * *

Bulma brushed down her outfit one last time before flinging her en-suite door open and peering into the bedroom expectantly. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she strode towards her bedroom door, flinging it open and gasping out in surprise when she saw her mother stood directly in front of her.

"Mum!"

"Hello darling, you look lovely, where are you going?" Her mother peered her over curiously, and then smiled cheerily.

Bulma glanced down at her outfit, "Thanks. I'm going for cocktails with Krillin…do you think I'm over-dressed?"

"Hmm, maybe a little darling," she paused briefly and then added, "Is Vegeta going?"

Bulma snorted, "Yeah right. Look, I'm going to change quickly, everything ok?"

"Oh of course, I'll just see you when you get back." Mrs Briefs leant over and kissed her daughter's cheek as Bulma waved and then turned back into her bedroom to take another look in her full-length mirror.

Bulma scanned herself impassively, taking in the high black heels and the black knee-length pencil skirt, her slim waist impressively emphasised with a simple white chiffon slip tucked into the high-waisted skirt. She did look a _little_ overdressed. _But I look bloody fantastic too!_

She grinned and slipped into her bathroom, pulling the slip loose just as the phone rang. She picked it up with a chirpy, "Hello?"

"Hey Bulma, how you doing?" Yamcha's voice rang out cheerfully as she balanced the phone on her dresser and pressed the loudspeaker button, before slipping back into the bathroom.

"Good, great thanks. How are you, lunk-head?" she replied teasingly, carefully pulling the slip over her head.

Yamcha laughed, "Good, thanks. Look, I was wondering what you're up to tonight?"

Bulma winced as the strap caught on her earring and gingerly untangled it, "Oh I'm meeting Krillin for drinks, do you want to join us?"

"Yeah that sounds great, I'm guessing Vegeta isn't coming?"

Bulma rolled her eyes and folded the slip carefully, "Of course not." She smiled and added, "He's training," proudly.

There was a hollow bark of a laugh in reply, "Jeez Bulma, don't give the guy so much credit. He's only training because he's got nothing else to do. He's so unsocial."

Bulma stopped fiddling with her skirt zipper, "Yamcha," she said tiredly, "Please don't."

"Whatever. But he's not right for you." Yamcha said shortly and Bulma frowned, annoyed at her ex-boyfriend for being so continuously negative about Vegeta.

"I don't care." She eventually said, finally getting the zipper down and shuffling the skirt down her creamy, toned thighs.

"Whatever Bulma," there was another tense pause and Bulma felt the normal swell of guilt and annoyance grip at her.

"Was there anything else you wanted?" she asked softly, folding her skirt over a china white rail delicately.

"Other than you?" he was only half-teasing. But she laughed nonetheless.

"Yamcha…" a sudden burring of noises let her know the phone had been disconnected and with a confused frown- her things never broke randomly, she'd created them after all!- she headed into her bedroom and froze at the bathroom doorway as she saw Vegeta stood shirtless, half-crushed phone in hand, and looking furious, at the edge of her bed.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Vegeta scowled, "What the hell were you talking to him for?" he chucked the phone on the bed and crossed his arms across his chest, his face resuming a look of cold, hard anger.

"He rang. He wanted to know what I was doing today." She said shortly, striding into the bedroom and towards her walk-in wardrobe, sending him a warning glare as she passed.

He took no heed of it, "Doesn't he know not to touch other people's property?"

Bulma swung around and glared at him, "I'm not your property!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, "You're as good as."

"I damn well am not! Besides, there has been no touching involved!" she shot back, tossing her silky blue hair over shoulder and turning back to rifle through her clothes.

She heard him growl low in his throat and felt a shiver go down her spine. "There better not have been."

Bulma rolled her eyes and pulled a soft purple shirt-dress out, "Don't be so petulant." She slipped past him, not able to resist a quick glance at his finely honed chest and stomach.

He growled again, this time more dangerously and the shiver flicked into anticipatory tingles all over body. She ignored them and pulled the dress off its hanger.

"He wants you."

She turned around impatiently and jumped when she found herself nose-to-nose with him. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes as he scowled down at her, "So what? He's just lonely Vegeta."

Vegeta continued to scowl at her so she turned her back to him once more, delighting in the fact she could practically _feel_ his eyes burning a trail across her barely clad figure. "Besides, I want you. I told you that before. I'm yours." She winked and turned around again, just pulling her arms into the sleeves when two strong arms encircled her waist and swung her around.

Vegeta pulled her flush against his body, smirking as her breath caught in her throat, "You damn well are."

Bulma opened her mouth to reply but Vegeta silenced her with a demanding kiss. She snaked her arms up to his shoulders and moaned slightly as he pulled away. He brushed his lips against hers lightly before leaning back to gaze at her, his face and eyes dark with intensity, "You're mine." He growled before grasping her flush against him again and kissing her with such passion that Bulma's whole body trembled and she writhed against him.

He slid his hands up her back and deftly flicked her satin black bra open, sliding it off her shoulders and sending it fluttering to the ground within seconds. Bulma moaned into his mouth as his hands grasped greedily at her breasts, massaging them and flicking this thumbs over her nipples.

Bulma's hands gripped his shoulders tightly as her head fell back, her hair falling smoothly down her shoulders and leaving her pale neck exposed. Vegeta attached his lips to it instantly, kissing her collarbone and nipping at her neck lightly, causing her to let out a little mewing sound that never failed to arouse him enormously.

* * *

Bulma arrived late to the club she had arranged to meet Krillin at, and sent a cheery grin at the bouncer as he let her skip the line with a respectful nod of his head.

She scanned the bar quickly and let out a giggle when she spotted Krillin's gleaming bald head. She skipped over and planted a kiss right on the top. "Hello you."

"Bulma!" Krillin spun around and grinned widely, "How are you?"

"Great! Sorry I'm late! Got a little caught up. How are you? Is Yamcha coming?"

"Yeah, he's here already…he said he called and you hung up on him. I think he's a little worried about it." Krillin answered, before nodding over to a small booth in the corner where Yamcha was sat, necking a beer.

Bulma hummed nonchalantly, and smiled as the barman eyed her up and asked her what she wanted flirtatiously.

"Man, Bulma, I've been waiting for ages and you got served straightaway!" Krillin said with a grin.

"Well I guess that means I'm far prettier than you," she winked cheekily, "what do you want?"

"Four beers please," Krillin added to the barman.

"And we'll have that sent over to the table in the corner please?" Bulma added with another flirtatious smile, and the barman nodded and watched her walk away appreciatively and Krillin followed her with a chuckle.

* * *

Krillin let out a loud, hearty chuckle as Bulma slammed her glass down with a triumphant smile.

"There you go Yamcha, I'd like to see you do that!" she stuck her tongue out at Yamcha.

Yamcha grinned, and toasted his beer bottle to her, "Will this do as a replacement?"

Krillin watched in amusement as Bulma nodded in response and Yamcha raised the bottle to his lips to down it the beer in the same manner Bulma had just tossed back her champagne.

He finished it swiftly and Bulma whooped loudly and leant over the table to plant a congratulatory kiss on his cheek. Krillin cheered and Yamcha beamed proudly, before shooting Krillin a conspirational glance and nodding at the door. Krillin hadn't even turned to look when Bulma shrieked loudly again.

"Chi-Chi! What are you doing here?!" Bulma leapt out of her seat wobbly and grinned as Chi-Chi shuffled her coat off her shoulders and headed over to them.

"I just had to get out of the house! Besides, we've got a lot to catch up on!" she sat down with them and Krillin glanced at Yamcha, who nodded minutely.

"Yeah, I hear there's some gossip I should know Bulma?" Krillin said bravely, forcing himself to sound jovial and light-hearted.

Bulma looked nonplussed and poured Chi-Chi a glass of champagne, "What?"

Chi-Chi pursed her lips impatiently, "Vegeta."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Oh don't get on at me about that Chi-chi…" she leant over to Krillin and whispered loudly, "I'm kind of dating him."

Chi-Chi scowled, "You are not dating him Bulma..."

"So what are we doing then?" Bulma gestured around her angrily, "Please, fill me in on my own relationship why don't you?"

"Relationship?" Yamcha couldn't stop himself snorting, "He's only shagging you Bulma. That's all you are to him."

Bulma's head shot around and she sent him a dark glare that had Krillin shrinking into his seat. Yamcha stared back at her defiantly and crossed his arms over his chest, "You know it's true Bulma. Don't fool yourself into thinking he cares about you. Vegeta doesn't care about anyone or anything."

"He's right Bulma," Krillin piped up earnestly, "Vegeta's not really a good guy. You could do a lot better."

"You guys don't know anything about him!" Bulma shot back hotly, getting indignant and angry under the accusing and disbelieving stares of Chi-Chi and Yamcha, and Krillin's nervous pity. _What the hell are they talking about? Who the hell do they think they are?!_

"Listen, Bulma, we understand that you like the bad boy, you like trying to 'save' a guy or whatever…I mean, look at your entire relationship with Yamcha! You two were hardly functional!" Chi-Chi said exasperatedly, looking at Bulma with matter-of-fact eyes. "But a smart girl like you has got to realise that you can't take this thing with Vegeta seriously! You can't expect him to ever actually love you, or care for you, or commit to you!"

Bulma gaped furiously and glared around at them all. "Who the hell do you guys think you are? None of you have any right to tell me how to feel! And none of you know anything about Vegeta and me! You have no idea what he's actually like at all, so just butt out!"

"Bulma! We just don't want you to get hurt!" Krillin cried earnestly, and Bulma- despite her annoyance- knew that was all Krillin was worried about. Chi-Chi and Yamcha though, _well, they're just meddling because Chi-Chi can't stand the idea of me being happy with a guy, and Yamcha…well, he's probably just bitter._

"And you certainly will with Vegeta." Chi-Chi added archly, and Yamcha let out a gruff, "That's for sure."

Bulma grit her teeth and sucked in a long breath before pushing out of her chair and placing her hands down on the table, "Just stay out of it." She said firmly, before walking off, ignoring Chi-Chi's huffing and Krillin's half-begging for her to come back.

Yamcha scowled as Bulma left and looked over at Chi-Chi. Goku's wife nodded tightly, "We've got to keep trying. She doesn't know what she's doing."

* * *

**hello there, sorry again for the delays! **

**thanks again for all the reviews, you are all amazing and every review i get makes my day!**

**im trying to answer every question here (sorry if i missed any out!): i do intend on showing more of Vegeta's feelings in the upcoming chapters, i do intend to carry on through where Vegeta leaves, when Trunks is born, etc, etc...and i am sooooo pleased you are all leaving such great reviews! please continue to do so :D thanks so much! x**


	17. Not Right Now, Not Ever?

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Seventeen: Not Right Now, Not Ever?**

'_Nothin's wrong,  
just as long as  
you know that someday I will.  
Someday, somehow,  
we're gonna make it alright but not right now._

_I know you're wondering when…'_

Nickelback: _Someday_

* * *

_Something was chasing him, and he was running. He- the Prince of all Saiyans- was running away?! But he __was__ running, he was running so hard his legs were shaking, his lungs seemed swollen in their quest for air, and his body was screaming at him to stop, slow down, but he was running so hard, because something was chasing him…and then, he fell. Right down, smacking hard on the floor and rolling over in time to see Frieza looming over him, tail coiled like a whip and - he had seen this so many times before- slashing down on him mercilessly as the demonic alien screamed insults at him…but then it stopped, and he thrashed out furiously into thin air and he wondered where Frieza had gone when an ear-splitting scream reverberated in the very air around him and he ran again, this time towards his enemy, and he begun to recognise the scent the air, and another scream ran out and he recognised the voice and his heart constricted painfully as he fumbled around the corner and saw Frieza…with his tail coiled tightly around a pale, petite bloodied body, and with an evil, demonic grin he dropped the body at Vegeta's feet and he spotted the flash of blue hair, and the rolling blue eyes of Bulma as she struggled to survive loosing the blood pouring out of a gaping wound in her side. Vegeta's entire body spasmed with wracking despair as he took in the sight of her and he let out a ferocious roar as he scooped her up in his arms and she let out her last shuddering breath. _

* * *

Vegeta woke up suddenly and scowled into the darkness, furious at the nightmare that was becoming a night-time constant. Bulma shifted in his arms, and he released his grip on her, staring down at her sleeping form with a frown forming on his face. _Why am I having nightmares about her? Why is she in my head all the time? She's hindering all my progress…I can't sleep properly, I can't train, I can't even damn well shower without her on my mind! _He growled quietly into the dark even as his chest lurched at the thought of the nightmare. _I need to do something about this; I need to get her out of my system. I thought fucking her would do it, but it's just made it worse. I should just dispose of her. I should just blow up the whole fucking planet and be done with it!_ He scowled again and pushed out of the bed, and stared out of the window. _I have to get over this. The damn woman has gotten under my skin…she's screwing up my progress. I can't let some stupid whore ruin my chances. She means nothing to me anyway_…His scowl deepened as his stomach fluttered when he heard her moan slightly in her sleep, _Stop being so pathetic and get over it. She means nothing to you. _He nodded stiffly to himself, and left the room, determined to focus on his training and dismiss Bulma from his life.

* * *

Bulma woke up and groaned into the pillow next to her as the daylight streamed through the curtains and right into her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and stretched out her arms, and finding the space next to her –not surprisingly- empty. She sat up and glanced at the mounted clock on her wall.

"Shit!" she bolted up right and out of bed, belting for the bathroom and wondering if she would be able to sweet-talk her way out of this one.

* * *

Vegeta stared down at Dr Briefs ominously, "I don't care how worried Bulma is about the damn bots, I want them now. These old ones are pitiful and I am not here to waste my time!"

Dr Briefs frowned thoughtfully, "Well Bulma won't be happy with this, but I suppose they aren't going to do any real harm- we have disengaged them mostly…" he took his glasses off and wiped them on a yellow cloth, "I'll send some over now Vegeta. Just be sure to keep an eye on any unusual behaviour."

Vegeta grunted in response and flicked off the video-link, before pulling off his vest top and stretching out his limbs. He closed his eyes and listened with grim satisfaction as his bones clicked, before realising he smelt of sex. He could still smell Bulma on his skin…he could still taste her, he could still hear her moans reverberating around his skull, he could feel her soft skin under his fingers…he let out a groan and his eyes shot open furiously. _She's always on my mind! I can't get enough of the woman! She's becoming an obsession._ He scowled into the empty air before him and turned to glared out of the tinted window, just in time to catch the blue-haired beauty skittering past, laughing and holding on to a young man's arm, chattering animatedly. Vegeta's fists automatically clenched, and he felt the dangerous swell of possessiveness that seemed to consume him every time he saw- or even thought of- Bulma with another man. He watched them through narrowed eyes, and tried to lip-read what Bulma was so passionately saying, as she gesticulated around her and the young handsome man nodded fervently, his eyes glued to her. Vegeta couldn't quite make out what she was saying, and as the man leant over and placed a hand on her back, he couldn't stop himself from stomping towards the door, and he was just about to swing it open- _who the fuck does that guy think he is?_- when the video-com beeped and came on and Dr Briefs said, "Vegeta, I'm just sending the bots over now," cheerily.

"Finally." He barked back, and the video-com switched off, and he turned away from the door, catching sight of Bulma and the man strolling back into the house. _Why do I care what she's doing? Why do I care who he is? Why am I wasting my time with this woman? I'm a Saiyan Prince- a born warrior- I am not some pathetic human, devoted to some whore! _He thought of Bulma writhing under him, how sweet her skin tasted, her much her husky moans aroused him, how _alive_ he felt when he was with her, how no matter how foul a mood he was in she always seemed to bring a smile to his face; even if it was involuntary, how he was beginning to feel more comfortable, more relaxed, more…_human_. It hit him with the force of a well aimed ki blast. He was becoming more human…he was forgetting who he was. He was deluding himself into thinking he was fine here, that he belonged here, with Bulma, and the earthlings…Vegeta felt a cold swell of anger in his stomach. He didn't belong here. He was the Saiyan Prince. He could destroy the whole planet if he so chose. He could destroy everything and everyone, including Bulma.

* * *

"I do hope you've enjoyed your tour Liev." Bulma smiled warmly at the young Swiss man in front of her.

"Oh definitely, I've been dying to have a look around Capsule Corp for years. You really have got a fascinating empire here Bulma." He responded eagerly, nodding a 'yes' as Bulma offered him more wine.

Bulma filled her glass back up and grinned, "Well, Dad and I have been working hard at it for years. I'm glad that we're still going so strong."

Liev nodded, "It just goes to show how much hard work and ingenuity pays off." He took a sip of his wine, "So should we talk business?"

Bulma nodded encouragingly, and Liev picked up his black suitcase- Bulma almost wrinkled her nose at how glaringly patent it was- and clicked it open on his lap. He pulled out some notebooks and scrawled something down, before handing it to Bulma with a cheerful grin. Bulma took it off him and flipped it open, before her eyes widened in surprise and her face bloomed into a smile. She looked up at Live, and he grinned back.

"I'm investing in this company Bulma, because I think both yourself and your father are some of the most exciting, innovative scientists to have ever graced the planet. I couldn't be more excited about this union between my investments and your genius."

Bulma beamed, leapt off her chair and planted a kiss on Liev's cheek, before immediately slipping back into her seat and putting her father on dial.

"Dad? You're going to be so pleased…"

* * *

After one too many glasses of celebratory champagne, Bulma finally decided to call it night, and giddy with delight, desire burning throughout her, she made her way to her bedroom. She wandered in, bemused to find the room empty, she had been expecting- and definitely hoping- to find Vegeta there. _He's probably just pissed I'm late to bed or something, he just hates an interruption in his routine. _She headed for his room, and knocked softly, not waiting for a response before she walked in and she started at the sight before her.

Vegeta was lying, perfectly still, eyes wide open, on his back on the bed. He didn't move or even glance her way as she made her way hesitantly over to the bed. Bulma stretched a hand out to touch him, and was just about to say his name, ask him what on earth he was doing, when his hand shot up, encircled her wrist, and pulled her swiftly on top of him, before he rolled them over, pressing her tightly between his own hard body and the bed.

Bulma's breath caught in her throat as she gazed up at him. His eyes were boring into hers, dark and fierce, intense, and as she opened her mouth to speak again he titled her head up and kissed her hard on the mouth, his fingers grazing at her nape and his body pressing against hers so tightly she felt like she would burst with desire and delirious happiness.

* * *

Bulma panted as she finally fell back, exhausted, and sated, shaken to her bones and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. She opened her eyes slowly and found Vegeta still sat up, his dark eyes trained on her intently. Bulma couldn't help but blush slightly under his gaze; the sheer intensity of emotion still reeling through her almost set her in tears when his lips quirked into a half smile. She leant up tiredly, resting on his finely honed chest, before brushing her lips against his neck softly. She trailed her hair over his shoulders, before following the silky blue strands with her lips, eventually reaching his chin, then his mouth.

She lingered there a moment, before pulling back to gaze at Vegeta, and as her eyes locked on his, he looked- just for a moment- totally unguarded, affectionate, relaxed and she felt an aching grow in her chest. He closed the small distance between them to kiss her again, his hands snaking up to grip at her waist, before sliding slowly, sensually, up to her face. He held her face in his hands and Bulma's heart ached even more as he scrutinised her. She stared back at him breathlessly._ What's going through your head Vegeta? What are you thinking? Talk to me. _She so desperately wanted to say these words out loud, but she knew he would disregard them entirely.

He let her go after a while, and Bulma fell back against the pillows once more, exhaustion seeping into her bones, and her heart ached so much she could do nothing but close her eyes and fall asleep.

Vegeta watched her as she drifted into a heavy sleep, and after he was sure she would not wake up anytime soon, he stood and dressed, picking up the pre-packed capsules he would leave and left, silently and swiftly.

He didn't look back at the sleeping figure on the bed.

* * *

**God I am SO SO SO sorry about the delays. I can assure you I am just as stressed (maybe more!) than you are about the waits and the shorter hapters. I am so looking forward to Xmas holidays when I can actually sit down and write this properly; without waiting weeks to post a new chapter! I am really sorry for the wait, and I appreicate you all staying with me through this. Your reviews are all amazing :D And since I haven't posted in so long, I'm going to at least try and answer some of your questions! :D**

**Melodi_Moon- i know the last few chapters have been a bit of a slog (for me too!) but i am dying for Xmas hols to come so I can crack on. These chapters were alway going to be a sort of slow progress because they're sort of the middle men between Bulma and Vegeta getting together, and the post-Vegeta leaving episodes! Thanks for continuing to review!**

**LadyNorth76- ah thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it! thanks for the reviews! Your Yamcha was good, but i don't want to portray him as a villain! I genuinely think he's a good guy, just - understandably- pissed off!**

**Ranger_in_Black- oh i love jealous Vegeta too trust me :D thanks for the reviews! **

**Amanda- wow thank you! im so glad people are enjoying this fic, and think i've got the two characters fairly right. It's always ace to hear that. thanks for reviewing and reading!**

**bla- thanks!**

**Wolf- thanks :D**

**xxxcrazychickxxx- hehe i know, they should just let them be! thanks for reviewing!**

**Seren-TheStar- ha i know, i wish i had her wardrobe too. She's so gorgeous! And i'm glad you like her as a live-wire! And yup, they are jealous indeed, excpet Krillin who sort of got dragged along for the ride. Poor guy! Thanks for the great reviews :D**

**MorningStar666- thank you!**

**Nintendocat- i'm so glad you are still reviewing, got to say im always nervous about yours though, even though you're always lovely! Thanks for still reviewing, and i hope you continue to be patient with me, as there will be lots of Vegeta coming up!**

**Ink'Lock- thanks thanks thanks!**

**ZomByKiTen- thank you so much...im afraid i don't know much about Resident Evil but if i ever do then i will get working on it! :D**

**VegetasAngel- thank you so much for the great review! i hope you can stick around and carry on being so patient, as there is more of Vegeta coming up! :D**

**THANKS TO ALL YOU GREAT AND LOYAL REVIEWERS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	18. Author's Note Only I'm Afraid

Right, well, I have quite a lot of bad news concerning this story! I know it's been taking me ages to wirte for the last month or so, and half of that has been down to an avalanche of college work! Unfortunately, in the last two weeks my laptop developed a virus and it had to be completely rebooted- i've lost everything on it basically, which includes this story and all the notes, etc I ever made for it. I'm still planning on continuing it- not least because you have all been such great reviewers and readers, but there will still be long waits between chapters as I rewrite the chapters I lost and jog my memory with where I'm going with this!

I'm really sorry to all of you, but also really hope you can continue to keep your eye on it and keep reviewing. I love all your reviews so much and if it wasn't for them I would have given up on this ages ago!

Thanks a lot,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all had a good one!

Lola x


	19. Do You See What We've Done?

'**Face to Face'**

**Chapter Eighteen: Do You See What We've Done?**

_'There is something I see in you,_

_It might kill me,_

_But I want it to be true.'_

Paramore: _Decode_

* * *

It had been just over 2 months since Vegeta had left, but Bulma still woke up in the same manner every morning: stretching out her arms across the bed, expecting- and hoping- to find him there next to her. She was disappointed each time. Disappointed and fed-up, and apparently, nauseous.

She barely had time to fling herself into her bathroom before the vomit boiled up into her mouth. She managed to slump over the sink in time though, letting out a low groan as her stomach heaved again. Once she was sure she was able to get up and her stomach had settled, she brushed her mouth fervently and climbed in the shower.

_Jeez, what have I eaten that's making me this ill? That's about a week now! Hmm, maybe it was that chicken I ate at Yamcha's? _Bulma thought to herself, before her stomach upset itself again and she threw up, with an alarmed and horrified squeal, all over her own feet.

She didn't know why, but she had a feeling it was something to do with Vegeta.

* * *

Another week had passed and Bulma had carried on struggling with nausea. She slumped over her sink, sweating and sucking in long nervous breaths, pressing her head on the cool sink marble and waiting.

The little white stick lying next to her would dictate her future.

Two minutes, then another, and Bulma snatched up the stick and squeezed her eyes shut.

_Deep breath, it's ok, you can do this, no matter what happens, you can do this_. She thought of Vegeta, training in space, and of her mother and father, and of Yamcha, and Goku and the rest of the gang, and then her mind went to Vegeta again and she knew the answer before she opened her eyes.

Two blue lines: she was pregnant.

With a _Saiyan_ baby.

* * *

"Wow, only a month left now Bulma." Yamcha grinned over his burger at her, the merriment in his eyes only making the blue-haired woman across from him angrier.

"What? What are you grinning at?" she snapped back, shoving another handful of carrot sticks into her mouth, before following it with a massive bite of a hot dog. She glared balefully at Yamcha over the top of it.

Yamcha paused, and his eyes flicked over Bulma in concern for what felt like the ten millionth time since she had announced her pregnancy.

He remembered that vividly:

_He'd been practising his swing when Bulma burst out into the garden and announced loudly, "I'm pregnant." _

_Yamcha's jaw, and stomach, dropped to what felt like the centre of the universe. "Whnfg..?" was all he could manage._

"_I'm pregnant Yamcha. I have been for about 3months. Stop gawking like that, it's Vegeta's, which means- obviously- its half Saiyan so I've checked up some stats and the doctors think I'll be due in about three months, since Saiyan babies develop much quicker, and well, Chi-Chi was only six months in when Gohan was born, and he was perfectly healthy." She said all of this in such a matter-of-fact tone that Yamcha briefly wondered if she had planned the pregnancy. Then the reality of it hit him._

"_YOU'RE HAVING VEGETA'S CHILD?!" he shouted so suddenly and so disarmingly loudly and angrily, that Bulma stepped back, eyes suddenly wide and anxious._

_She nodded as Yamcha stared at her with demanding eyes._

_He couldn't believe it; he wouldn't. Bulma, __his__ Bulma, was having __Vegeta's __child. _

"_And the bastard isn't even here to look after her or it!"_

_He hadn't meant to say that out-loud. Shit._

He grimaced again now, remembering Bulma's fury and then took another bite of his burger. He swallowed his laugh as Bulma quickly polished off her third hot dog and bag of carrot sticks. _Kami, she's huge. And __always__ hungry. _He hadn't admitted it out-loud yet, for fear of Bulma's wrath, but he was scared stiff for her safety. The baby was growing at an alarming rate, and she looked worse and worse every day. The thought that she might not survive the birth popped into his head often and filled him with horror, before he remembered Chi-Chi and Gohan. And Bulma would have much better doctors and services than she'd had, he knew that, but still…he hated Vegeta more now than he had ever hated anyone or anything, including Frieza and including the upcoming Androids. He hadn't only stolen the one thing Yamcha really loved, but he had also stolen the life he could have had, and could be destroying it in the process.

* * *

"Ok Miss Briefs, one more push, that's it, and again, that's it and…" the earnest doctor's voice was drowned out by Bulma's loud scream as her baby was born.

"He's okay? He's okay? He has a tail, does he have a tail?" she was upright as soon as the cord was cut and looking around, tiredness and pain coiling into panic and urgency, as her eyes scanned the room for her son.

"He's fine, Bulma, he's perfect! Ooh, there's the tail darling!" Mrs Briefs was cooing already, taking the baby from the nurse's arms and passing him gently to Bulma.

The blue-haired beauty burst into tears. "Trunks! Oh, I love you," she bent her head down and kissed his head, her tears trickling onto his face and mingling with his own as he wailed loudly. His tail flicked up and hit Bulma's nose and she let out a delighted laugh.

"We have to remove it Bulma, darling," her father said sagely, his face a mixture of concern, delight and pride.

"I know, I know. But not yet," she peered down at her son: a thick, messy head of lilac hair- her father's gene- and her blue eyes…_but Kami, he looks just like his father. _Bulma's heart ached suddenly and she burst into tears again. _Oh Vegeta, I wish you were here._

* * *

Trunks learnt faster than any other baby any Doctor had ever seen and Bulma noted with glee, that that included Gohan. He grew, post-birth, at a normal human rate, which Bulma suspected was because of the loss of his tail, but at 3 months, mentally and emotionally, his intelligence was phenomenal.

Not that it particularly mattered, for everyone in the Brief's household completely _adored_ him. Including Yamcha.

He had moved back in to support Bulma through her pregnancy and he had grown so attached to Trunks that Bulma could not have thought of wanting him out again. She would never quite feel for Yamcha what she had felt for Vegeta, her feelings for the Saiyan seemed to be in a strange, uncontrollable league of their own, but she was so fond of him, and he loved her, and Trunks, and he wanted them. He was there.

She watched from the kitchen window as Yamcha swung Trunks around in his arms, laughing as the purple-haired boy grabbed at his hair and shouted delightedly. She saw the joy in her son's eyes, saw the love that practically radiated off Yamcha, and she strolled out to join them, her heart both aching and warming as Yamcha turned to her, his face splitting into a massive grin, and swept her up in his arms, hugging her and Trunks to him as if they were the most important thing in the world- as if they were his.

Bulma had mere seconds to contemplate the thought when the ground thrummed beneath her, and the wind swept rapidly, and there was a great blot covering the sunlight above them. Yamcha held them tighter, and for some horrified moments, Bulma thought the worse.

Then she heard the familiar clicks and thuds of Capsule Corp technology and she spun in Yamcha's arms in time to see the battered shuttle land, the doors sliding open and…

"Vegeta." She breathed.

* * *

_Hello all! Oh my, I've finally updated. I hope none of you have just passed out in shock! Admittedly it has taken me a VERY long time to do so, and this is still a very short update, but heck! its something. I apologise to those who have been waiting for this for such a long time, and I'm so sorry I made you do so. I hope you can forgive me and still keep reviewing. I make no promises about my update times, since I have been under a lot of pressure and workload thanks to committees and college, but I'm getting back into this now and I hope I'll manage to keep going. Please be patient with me though, and keep reviewing! THANKS SO MUCH! X_


	20. This Selfish Blood Runs Through My Veins

**Chapter Twenty: This Selfish Blood Runs Through My Veins**

_'I won't soothe your pain,_

_I won't ease your strain,_

_You'll be waiting in vain,_

_I've got nothing for you to gain.'_

Blue Foundation: _Eyes on Fire_

* * *

Vegeta emerged from the space shuttle steadily, sucking in a long breath and distantly sensing everything around him. He frowned slightly as he detected a change, an addition, to the ki surrounding the Briefs' house. He jumped lithely down to the ground, before catching sight of some figures intertwined to his left.

He heard her voice before he fully recognised her. She looked different and, his stomach clenched, she was wrapped in the arms of the weakling. She caught his gaze and shifted slowly away from Yamcha, her face taking on a strange mixture of nerves and defiance; she was apprehensive about something, but obviously ready to fight for it. Vegeta sneered briefly at the thought; he could kill her with a flick of his smallest finger. He continued to stare at her, eyes scanning her over, noticing small changes in her: she looked softer, her curves were not as lean as before, her hair was longer again, her eyes were darker, and her face, her beautiful face, was a little bit fiercer. He realised why a second later. She stepped fully away from Yamcha, and Vegeta finally saw what it was she was protecting. A child.

Millions of thoughts, feelings, desires and questions seemed to race through his mind at once, before he came to a conclusion. "Get that little human shit away from me! I don't want to touch anything that's a result of a union of both of your pathetic genes!"

He snapped harshly, tensing up as Bulma stepped forward, and held the baby out slightly.

She withdrew the child straight back to her arms and glared at him, "This is not a human shit!" she huffed and her back straightened considerably, and Vegeta knew that if she wasn't holding the child she would have placed her hands on her hips- she was getting into her fighting stance. He sneered back at her, before Bulma added sharply, "He's your son."

Vegeta froze. _WHAT? WHAT?_ His mind went completely blank; he could not comprehend what she had said. He stared at her for what felt like years, trying to discern any hint of lies, treachery or trickery, before his eyes dropped to the child and he started. Despite the mop of purple hair and the bright blue eyes- it looked just like him.

"How the fuck did this happen?!" he bellowed immediately, striding over to Bulma and looming over her furiously. He saw the weakling tense up, but he ignored him. He could kill him without lifting a hand, and he would not hesitate in doing so.

"How do you think?" Bulma hissed, "We had sex, your freakish Saiyan sperm decides to kill my contraception, I get pregnant and oh, here's the child!" she clutched the child tighter to her again and Vegeta snarled.

"That _thing_ is not mine. I've got nothing to do with it. I want nothing to do with it, or you. I'm back only for supplies and I will be gone as soon as I get them. And then I will never see you or the brat again." he glared at Bulma with black eyes before stalking off, his shoulders and back ramrod straight and tense.

* * *

_A child? A son? I have a son_? Vegeta's mind was whirling as he crouched on the floor of the gravity chamber. He shut his eyes and envisioned the tiny child's face. It was the perfect mixture of him and Bulma- there was no denying the child was his. A small part of him swelled at the fact: the baby was not the weaklings. It was _his_. And Bulma was the mother of his child.

He scowled again moments later. _Why should I care if its mine? Its fucking worse that it is. I'm not having anything to do with it. I don't want a fucking brat! _He growled aloud, and then paused again, as a sudden thought hit him. _If its mine- how had she managed to have it? And where was its tail? How had it developed? _He stood up just as there was a knock at the door, and he knew, without checking, that it would be Bulma. He swung the door open and stared down at her.

She bit her bottom lip, and he noticed she was still holding the baby to her, "His name is Trunks. He was born at six months. Saiyan babies grow phenomenally fast. I carried him and I gave birth to him. He's 2months old now, but he's got the abilities of three times that age. He's learning to speak already." Her nervousness slipped away as she beamed proudly and held him up again, "He looks just like you, as you can tell. But," she paused again, "we had to have his tail removed so he wouldn't transform." She rolled the baby gently in her arms, pulling up its white shirt, "Look, here's his scar." She pointed to a scar, a scar that looked identical to Vegeta's own, if slightly lighter.

Vegeta stared, dumbstruck. It was his son. He had a Saiyan son- another heir to the Saiyan throne. Without thinking, he reached out to Bulma, his hand trailing across her cheek, before dropping to the child's head.

Bulma watched, her skin tingling from the contact, and her heart swelled, as he stood impassive, but his hand trembled slightly as he cupped Trunks head. Then with a sudden jerk away he moved back and glared at her.

"Trunks?"

* * *

Explaining the Briefs' family history of names to Vegeta hadn't gone at all well. He had outright bellowed that it was not appropriate for a Saiyan, or for Royal Blood. At this point Bulma completely blew up and screamed back at him his earlier words and how Trunks was hers, not his, and she would name him and bring him up as she pleased. Vegeta had simply sneered back at her coldly and said, "That's right. The brat isn't anything to do with me. I do not care about it, or you." and stormed off again.

Bulma sat on her bed, staring at Trunks sleeping in his cot and shuddered as the quiet sobs racked through her. This was not how she had imagined Vegeta's return. She knew he would not be happy, she knew he would act distant and angry. But she thought that this would all be his typical pretence, and that secretly he would be delighted. The brief moment in the shuttle had lifted her spirits so highly, but the look on his face as he had stormed away from her the second time that day…it shook her to the core. There was something about him that had changed. It was like he had got all the hardness and hate about him and buried it back in. He reminded her more of when she had first met him, when he had been so evil and so frightening…Bulma shook again and tried to stifle her loud cries into her arms.

_What's happened to you Vegeta? Why didn't you come back to me?_

_

* * *

_

Bulma couldn't sleep that night. She could stop her mind from whirring uncontrollably. Her heart felt like it was trying to climb out of her throat and go and find Vegeta. She tossed and turned in her bed, continuously getting up to check on Trunks, to look out her window, to change her slip… she could not stay still, and she knew why.

Vegeta was staying in a room only two doors away. She felt it was ridiculously symbolic that it was Yamcha's room that was stopping them being next to one another. She stood up again, and bent over the cot, staring down at her son. Her heart lurched every time she looked at him. He was so perfect, so beautiful, he was _her_ son. _And Vegeta's_, she added mentally, though with a tinge of bitterness. _Eugh, how dare he come back here and not even care that I had his child? How can this of happened? What happened to make him so cold again? Where has he been? What has he been doing?_ She sighed and her arm fell limply over the side of the cot, just lingering above Trunks' shifting, but sleeping, form. She was just about to lean in and kiss him, when there was a sudden breeze behind her, and the bottom of her slip lifted slightly. She spun around, crouching protectively – like a lioness - over Trunks. She both loosened her stance and tensed when Vegeta stepped into her room and shut the door behind him.

She wanted to tell him to get out, to go away and to never come back, to stay away if that's what he wanted so much, but she couldn't. She could do nothing but stare at him, her heart pounding, as he stepped towards her, his face impassive but his eyes glittering.

He reached her quickly, and he simply stood in front of her, his body inches from hers, silent, for a moment, before he wrapped one arm around her waist and bent her down slightly, so her head dropped back, but her hips arched into his. He snaked a hand to her nape and wrapped his fingers in her hair, tugging her head to his as he leant over her. Bulma let out a little gasp, feeling the familiar, but exciting, tingles skim over her body.

Vegeta bent over her, and he locked his eyes on hers. She stared back at him breathlessly, and her mouth, of its own accord, sought out his. She kissed him tentatively at first, but within seconds he had pulled her upright again and right up against him, kissing her fiercely and gripping at her desperately. He stepped forward, forcing Bulma to step back too, until her bottom hit the bed, and Vegeta lifted her up, pushing her down on to her back and kneeling over her.

He stared down at her, and his lips quirked into a smirk, before he looped an arm under her waist and pulled her to him, crushing his lips against hers and kissing her fiercely. She pushed herself as close to him as was possible, her hands travelling over the familiar, yet different - harder, coarser- body. She reached his tail scar and ran her nail over it, eliciting a low growl from Vegeta that never failed to arouse her enormously.

He pulled away from her then, and was just sliding his hand under her slip, pulling it slowly over her when Trunks stirred in his cot and let out a little cry. The sound had obviously caught Vegeta off guard, as Bulma managed to push him off her and dart off the bed to the cot within seconds.

"What's the matter darling?" she whispered down at her son, as he gazed up at her and let out a gurgling burp.

Bulma withdrew her head and grimaced, "Ew. Trunks, pardon you." She realised, suddenly, that Vegeta was still in the room and she spun around to look at him. He was sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her with an unreadable look on his face.

She didn't know what to say to him, so she stayed silent and stared back at him, glancing him over and taking him in. He was gorgeous. There was no denying that, but something had definitely changed about him. He looked harsher, harder, his entire body looked coiled as if to fight or die at any moment. She shuddered suddenly, he was beginning to remind her too much of what he had been like before he had come to Capsule Corp, before she had dreamt of him and obsessed over him. She turned back to Trunks and stared down at her son.

_Your Daddy is here Trunks, but I don't know if it's him anymore either. _She smiled sadly, and turned again, but Vegeta had disappeared again.

* * *

**wow. erm i really haven't posted in so long. i am honestly extremely sorry to all the loyal reviewers who have been waiting on this. **

**it's been on-hiatus, and it's not exactly rolling smoothly now, updates will be few and far between, but im determined not to let this go!**

**this was a short chapter, i admit, and im sorry it's all i've got for now. but please, PLEASE, review! im going to need the encouragement.**

**thanks a lot guys X**


	21. Hope Is Just A Stranger Wondering How

**Chapter Twenty-One: Hope Is Just A Stranger Wondering How It Got So Bad**

'_And I've lost who I am,_

_And I can't understand,_

_Why my heart is so broken,_

_Rejecting your love.'_

Trading Yesterday: _Shattered_

* * *

The next days at Capsule Corp were uneventful, peaceful even- something that Dr and Mrs Briefs, and Yamcha all found eery and worrisome. The first day of Vegeta's stay has been full of rows, and arguing, and most sorts of confrontation imaginable between the Saiyan and Bulma had occurred. But the last few days had followed in silence. The two of them barely looked at each other, and Yamcha knew that something must have happened. He had sensed Bulma's anxious delight as soon as Vegeta had landed, and he could see the emotion in Vegeta's face when he caught sight of her again. As much as he hated to admit, Yamcha was beginning to realise there was some real connection between the two of them. _But apparently that's fraying…and this is where I come in._

* * *

Bulma stared at her laptop screen, attempting to focus her mind intently, but inevitably her throughts drifted. Since she had given birth to Trunks she had barely been able to focus on any work- she felt such a constant love for him that all she wanted to do was be with him. But it wasn't Trunks who was keeping her mind off her work for once: it was his father.

Bulma had barely seen Vegeta since the first night in her room, and whenever they passed each other in the house, she would avert her eyes and try to ignore him. Although, it wasn't really _him_ she was ignoring- it was the gaping hole in her heart that swelled and ached when she saw him that she ignored. She had spent the remaining hours of that night trying to desperately find a way to bring Vegeta back to her, to make him into the man he had been when he had left; she wanted him to love her and his son so badly.

"Eugh! Get. A. Grip." She told herself sternly, before beginning to flip through her files again, trying to refresh her memory on what she had been working on before Trunks' birth. After a while, realisation dawned, and she almost fell off her seat,

"Gero!" she called out loud, in surprise, _Oh my god, I was working on Gero's Red Ribbon Army formula… I was developing the codes to see how they could be modified- bettered… oh my god, _she sat completely still in shock, _I know how he's going to make the androids. And I know how to defeat them._

* * *

Bulma – for the brief moments it took her to run over to the Gravity Chamber and knock on the door- totally forgot how much she had wanted to avoid Vegeta. It was only when she had to unlock the door herslef and barge in - finding Vegeta topless and doing pull ups- that she felt all the familiar and painful emotions rush back at her. She considered running back out, and her feet were turning when his head snapped to hers suddenly and he dropped to the ground.

Bulma's throat constricted, and she couldn't find her voice, and when he began to advance towards her, his face becoming more twisted as he did so, she felt a trickle of fear down her spine. She was horrified- she hadn't been scared of him for two years, and now… she shook herself and blinked owlishly when Vegeta stopped a foot or two away and sneered coldly.

"Iknowhowtodestroytheandroids." It all fell off her tongue in one long smush of a word, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, "Get out, idiot." His voice was flint-sharp, and Bulma flinched, but she did not move, and Vegeta snarled and leapt towards her, grabbing hold of her arms and shoving her viciously towards the door.

"I know how to defeat the androids!" she finally found her voice- her sensible, intelligent, yes-I-can-string-a-sentence-together voice, just as he was forcing her back to the door.

He stopped then, but he did not release his painfully tight grip on her arms. "What?" he snapped, staring down at her with black eyes.

Bulma almost whimpered, and she wasn't sure if it was fear or desire coiling in her stomach as he shook her violently and pressed her against the wall, his face mere inches from hers as he growled "What?" furiously.

"I have 's old work- it has the codes on for the Red Ribbon Army, and the codes," she stuttered over her words slightly as Vegeta kept his face close to hers, "they can be decifered…I can work out how he'll use the same stats to make the androids, and how they could be destroyed." Her voice had become a whisper by the time she had finished. She could feel Vegeta's breath on her face and it was making her incredibly nervous.

There was a moments silence, when all of a sudden Vegeta slammed her back into the wall again, pressing himself tightly against, and his face twisted menacingly. He pulled her hair and she let out a pained gasp as he exposed her neck to him, and he bent his head, his lips just ghosting her earlobe. "You are a fool. Nothing you do could ever defeat the androids. You're pathetic." He grinded himself into her and Bulma, despite the fear and fury coiling in her gut, began to tremble slightly with desire, "I am the only person who can destroy them. You haven't seen what I have seen, you can't kill like I can…I've destroyed whole worlds before, and I'll do it again." he paused then and yanked her head up to his. "If you get in my way," he whispered, his voice low and threatening, and his lips founds his way to hers, resting on them lightly as he finished, "I'll kill you."

Bulma shut her eyes and her chest thumped painfully. She was terrified…no, she was heart-broken. He had never threatened to kill her before…not like that, not in such a sense that she genuinely thought he would. She kept perfectly still, willing her tears not to fall, and hoping he wouldn't notice how fast her heart was hammering.

He did not move though, but after a few moments he released his grip from her arms. Bulma was about to shake them- to relieve some of the tense pain- but at her slight movement, he gripped them and forced them above her head with one hand.

"Do you understand?" he sneered, nudging his knee between her thighs at the same time, and pinning her completely to the wall.

She began to realise what he was planning on doing – despite his threats and fury- and she opened her eyes, her fear now replaced with fury and she hissed, "Yes Vegetable Head, I understand. I understand perfectly that you're a cold-hearted, arrogant bastard."

His eyes flashed, and for a second she thought he was going to hit her, but he merely slammed her into the wall again and kissed her ferociously. She thought briefly about resisting, but as his free hand worked its way under her top, she could not prevent herself from kissing him back and arching into his touch.

* * *

Yamcha had just exited Bulma's lab, determined to find her, and talk to her- he wanted her to order Vegeta out, and he wanted her to realise that whatever feelings she had for the Saiyan, they would never be enough to keep him with her.

He was just walking into the garden, when he noticed door the Gravity Chamber was slightly ajar. He paused- he had no desire to walk in on Vegeta training- but the Saiyan did always shut the door- why would it be open? Yamcha snorted,_ Bulma's probably in there, fixing it or something stupid like that. _He sauntered over, and his ears pricked suddenly as a strange, moaning sort of sound came from the chamber's direction. He paused for a moment when the sound came again, and he strained his ears, suddenly catching the low tilt of Vegeta's voice and another moan- a female moan.

He didn't stop to properly think; his only worry was Bulma's safety, and he burst through the door, prepared to fight Vegeta if need be, when his eyes fell on something he _definitely_ did not want to see.

Vegeta had Bulma pinned to the wall, her arms locked above her head with one of his hands, whilst the other was tangled in her hair, pulling her face to his as he kissed her fiercely. Yamcha, for another horrified moment, thought that it was rape- until Bulma's bare leg suddenly tangled itself around Vegeta's hips and she let out another low moan as the Saiyan thrust into her. Her head fell away from his, and Yamcha's gut lurched. As Vegeta bit down on her neck, her face became a picture of ecstasy; and he knew she had _never_ looked like that with him, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her, from _them; _their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, and they clearly knew exactly how to please one another… Bulma let out another moan, as Vegeta growled low in his throat, and Yamcha finally began to backpeddle away.

But his foot caught on something and he tripped slightly- enough to catch the attention of both Bulma and Vegeta. He barely had time to register Bulma's look of sheer horror and embarrassment when Vegeta turned on him with a furious growl and blasted him.

* * *

Bulma left the hospital ward and sucked in a deep, long breath as soon as she reached fresh air. She leant against the wall and closed her eyes.

She wished she hadn't immediately when images of Yamcha's face- as he watched her and Vegeta… _oh kami, he looked mortified. And then terrified_. She let out a breath, _I thought he'd killed him_. She had frozen at the time, still too embarassed to really move…but then the blood started to trickle out of Yamcha's chest and she had screamed so loud that Vegeta had flung her away from him and simply stalked off.

She realised then that Vegeta had changed. He would never have hurt Yamcha before, he would have threatened it, maybe punched him- but never, he would have _never_ have tried to kill him, and Bulma knew that that was because of her- however he felt about Yamcha he would never have hurt him- because he knew it would hurt her. She closed her eyes again and shook her head as the tears began to fall, _But he doesn't care anymore. He's gone, it's over_.

"Get a grip on yourself woman, the weakling is still alive, unfortunately."

Bulma's eyes snapped open as Vegeta's cold voice came suddenly from her left.

She glanced over and saw him, leaning against the pillar and scowling.

"You bastard!" she shouted, "You tried to kill him!" she clenched her fists at her side as her fury- the fury not for Yamcha, but for her own hurt, her own bitter disappointment- boiled up.

Vegeta sneered, "So?"

Bulma pushed herself off the wall and strode over to him, "Get out of here."

Vegeta stared at her, "What?" he scoffed.

"Get. Out. Of. Here." She stated firmly, "Go on, fuck off! We don't want you here anymore Vegeta, you don't belong here- you're a fucking murderer!" she shouted, poking him viciously in the chest as her tears bubbled over.

He didn't move, but his face changed. He was staring at her, questioning, with his black eyes.

"Get out!" she sobbed, "I should have known you would never…" she let out another sob, "Get out!" she hit his chest then, and he still did not move, " I hate you. Kami, I HATE YOU!" she screamed, crying uncontrollably now, she flung herself away from him and hit her fist against the wall.

He finally moved then, silently, without a word, or even a look, he simply strode away, as Bulma slumped to the floor and cried into her hands.

She didn't know how long she was there, but at some point she heard the Space Shuttle power up and she knew he had left her. Forever.

* * *

**I'm sorry, I know this was just a short update, but it's to try and get more swiftly onto the 'part 2' of the story really.**

**There will be more Vegeta POV coming up for those of you who like that!!**

**Thanks so much for the reviews- Nintendocat i'm so glad you are still reviewing!! :D**

**and thanks to all of you too (it made me giggle to know you laughed so much btw Ominpotent porunga! so thanks)**

**Please keep reviewing guys!! XX**


	22. We Are The End

**'Face to Face'**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: We Are The End**

_'All my bones are dust,_

_And my hearts filled with rust,_

_These hands will always be rough,_

_I know this won't count for much.'_

Alexisonfire: _Rough Hands_

* * *

Blood filled his mouth and the coppery taste of it only spurned him on, only fed the burning in him that he could never quite satiate. He roared into the silence, clenching his fists at his side as he forced himself to power up, dragging every essence of himself to the forefront, practically feeling his blood boiling in his veins, and he grit his teeth, ignoring the mental images that haunted him so much at times like this. He pitched himself off the ground and flew into the ever-dark sky of the abysmal planet. He kept his eyes squeezed shut as the wind screamed against his face, and again, he tried to forget the images that were seared into his mind.

* * *

He had passed out again, and when he woke he was furious with himself. He had only a month to go until the androids would appear, and he still hadn't reached Super-Saiyan. He couldn't understand why it seemed so easy, so natural for Kakarot, and he ignored the voice in his head that hissed _Because he's the only one that can do it. _

It was not true, the boy from the future had been super-saiyan, and it was clear he was no descendant of Kakarott's. There had to be something to it he was missing, some movement, some technicality he hadn't grasped yet. He refused to think that it was _him_ that just wasn't capable.

He picked himself off the ashy floor and stormed over to his shuttle, he needed to eat and think. And then he was going to reach Super-Saiyan.

His supplies were beginning to run out as he gorged his way through them, and the fact made him realise that the space capsule might not have the stats to get him home.

_Home? Get a grip of yourself. That pathetic planet Earth is NOT your home, nothing on it means anything to you. You do not belong there. _He grit his teeth, and checked the stats of the pod, working out that he had precisely enough fuel left for the rest of the month. He would make it back just fine. And he would make it back as a Super Saiyan. _He_ would be the one to defeat the androids and _he_ would be the most powerful Saiyan. He would reap the rewards of becoming what he was born to be. His mind unwittingly flashed up an image of a blue-haired beauty and Vegeta let out a furious cry, storming from the shuttle and setting up the bots for his training. He refused to let himself think about her, or feel anything, but somehow, she was always lurking there on his periphery.

He grit his teeth again. That had to stop.

* * *

He had trained non-stop for four days and his body ached all over, he was covered in cuts and bruises, and there was a large lump forming on his head, where he inadvertently flown into a wall of rocks.

Nevertheless, Vegeta was nothing if not determined, and he pushed himself on, though every movement he made caught his breath and made his heart strain with effort, his vision was blurry, and his mind was all over the place. He was just lowering to the ground, accepting that he needed sustenance, when there was a sudden perk of ki in the atmosphere and a second later something had hit him suddenly in the back and bowled him over.

He was slow to get up, too slow, because whatever had hit him had already gripped his neck and pulled him roughly to his feet, before a long silver tail wrapped around his waist and squeezed. A second later, Vegeta's most hated voice was whispering in his ear.

"Well, well, look what I've caught myself here. Vegeta," the tail squeezed again and Vegeta could not prevent himself from wincing as a rib cracked under the pressure, "did you miss me?" the tail spun him around and Vegeta snarled.

"Frieza! How did you get here? You're dead!"

Frieza grinned wickedly, "Well let's just say I have friends in high places. And what of you, monkey, last I saw you were playing house with the human whore."

Vegeta snarled again and finally begun to struggle in Frieza's grip, he gripped the tail around him and Frieza shrieked in pain, flinging Vegeta far away from him again. His battered body seemed to bounce off the ground uselessly.

"So how was it Vegeta, how was the earth life like? It looked so mundane and dull to me, though the girl was like an animal in heat. Perhaps that why you liked her so?" Frieza hovered over him, speaking delicately, taunting him.

Vegeta pushed himself up, and croaked out, "I didn't like her, she means nothing to me." he struggled to his feet and Frieza watched him with amused disdain.

"Well then you won't mind to find out that I decided to sample your life for myself?" his voice was barely a whisper now, and the traces of the evil, debased, sadistic Frieza Vegeta knew so well was beginning to come to the surface.

Vegeta clenched his fists. "What are you talking about you fool?" he snarled.

Frieza's grin was pure evil. "I played house with the little whore and your brat. I don't think she liked me much." He paused and watched Vegeta's reactions carefully.

Vegeta froze, unable to stop himself leaping for Frieza, his teeth bared and his ruined fists aimed for his enemy's head. Frieza screamed with derisive laughter as Vegeta missed his every blow, and Frieza flew higher, circling over Vegeta like a bird would to its prey.

He lowered down again when Vegeta's knees gave way to exhaustion. "No she didn't like me very much at all. Not that she had any choice, not that she could stop me from taking what I wanted!"

"What did you do to her!?" Vegeta screamed up at him, his heart pounding frantically as every word Frieza said unleashed a myriad of images of Bulma, _his_ Bulma, left to Frieza's lecherous violent hands. He closed his eyes as his brain burned with them, and Frieza cackled loudly, slapping Vegeta sharply across the face with his tail. The blow threw Vegeta backwards, and his body crumbled into the floor again.

"She made so much noise, she screamed so much, and Vegeta, there was _so_ _much blood_." Frieza hovered over him again, his voice becoming more sinister with each second.

Vegeta couldn't move his body; he was paralysed by the images reeling round his mind. He groaned into the dirt as an image of a broken, bloodied Bulma sprung to mind and his heart thumped painfully against his chest.

"There was so much mess. I hope you don't mind too much, but I had to kill her after that. The brat too."

And that was it, Vegeta's rage burst through, and he sprung to his feet and screamed violently, his eyes still squeezed shut as his heart seemed to expand in his chest, his blood begun to boil again, his muscles stretched and his head throbbedd and ached as if it was expanding, and when he opened his eyes Frieza was gone, and his father was stood in front of him.

"Push Vegeta! You are the Prince, the ruler of the Saiyans, you must become the Super! Forget the whore, she is gone, she is _nothing_, forget her and push! VEGETA!" his father roared at him as Vegeta leapt at him blindly in his rage. His body was working of its own accord as he pummelled his father to the ground. He could see nothing but flashes of blinding blue eyes and he could feel nothing but sheer fury. He was moving without limitation, he was flying with immeasurable speed and grace, and his body was stronger than ever. He screamed again as he sunk one last punch into his father's face, before he stopped and slunk back to his knees, his rage giving way to a silent fury.

He stayed silent for a while, before he eventually opened his eyes, to find his fist buried into the ground. He leapt up again and stared around for his father, for Frieza, for anything, but there was no sight of anyone. There was only dents and crumbled boulders and dusty ash and dried blood. It took him a moment to realise his hand was glowing.

He pulled it out of the dent and stared at it, bewildered, for a moment, before he realised what had happened. He could _feel_ it. He was better than ever before, he was stronger, more powerful… he had ascended. He was a Super-Saiyan.

* * *

**long time, no update! i'm sorry it has been so long again. i'm really beginning to lose the plot (literally and figuratively) over this story. i do intend to finish it, but it won't be carrying on for much longer. i did intend to follow through all the Android saga, but now i think i'll end it with Vegeta's return to Earth as the androids appear, and perhaps offer some sort of epilogue to it. i'm really sorry to those who have been very loyally and kindly reviewing and who expected much more, but i'd rather end it differently, then spend the next few years umming and ahhing over it and never finishing it!**

**so thanks to all my reviewers, you are all amazing. if you're a general fan of my writing then i do have some one-shots on my profile that i would really appreciate any of your comments on!**

**so, as usual, please review! thanks a lot. x**


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